Tata Communications and BT have announced plans to launch cross-network video conference links.
It means that any customer of BT's Global Video Exchange or Tata Communications' Global Meeting Exchange can invite clients of the other service provider to join them in Telepresence meetings, which can be hosted on either exchange.
Previously, users have been limited to their parent network for holding conferences, but as both BT and Tata use Cisco's Telepresence technology, a wider cross-company network is possible.
According to Jeff Prestel, general manager, BT Conferencing, Americas, the agreement between BT and Tata with Tata Communications is strategic. It "paves the way for the video industry to expand and truly deliver a highway of video connectivity to end users", he said.
John Landau, SVP, global head of voice, video and mobility, Tata Communications, said: "Cooperation was easy because BT Conferencing and Tata Communications share a common goal to provide our customers open video conferencing sessions with any other business around the world."
BT has more than 350 active Telepresence customer sites connected to Denver and London exchanges and access to more than 1000 endpoints globally, while Tata operates some 15 public video conferencing sites globally.
www.bt.comwww.tatacommunications.com