+++++++++++++++++++++++++ Request, a leading wholesale broadband provider, has confirmed its multiservice broadband network capabilities at the Broadband Roundtable held at the Sydney Convention Centre today. Specifically, the company, with its partner Sony, demonstrated how service providers can today bundle voice and data services over a single broadband digital subscriber line (DSL) access network using a video conferencing application.
Like mobile phones and VCRs, Australia has been an early adopter in the use of videoconferencing technologies with more than 4,500 sites already deployed to meet application needs in a range of vertical markets.
Telemedicine, distance education, remote judicial procedures and corporate needs, such as board meetings, press and analyst briefings and HR interviews, have driven the demand for visual communications - underscored by reduced global travel in the aftermath of September 11. However, the growth of videoconferencing applications has been constrained by the high cost of traditional communications services such as ISDN and ATM.
"With the costs of videoconferencing end points like the Sony PCS 1600P coming down to sub Australian $10,000, the challenge has been to match this price breakthrough with an affordable ubiquitous network. This is why Sony is excited to be working with a broadband carrier like Request," said Raphael Owen, Sony Australia's Consultant for Videoconferencing.
Sony's high performance videoconferencing system beams high-resolution images with high quality video and lip-synced audio either point to point or to multipoint locations simultaneously.
Utilising Request's symmetric DSL capability, a videoconference can now be delivered over a broadband IP network at significantly reduced costs compared to current ISDN-based connections. This breakthrough cost saving is further enhanced by Request's ability to support multiple applications including, voice, corporate database access and Internet connection concurrently over the same broadband link.
The trend to converged (voice and data) WANs continues with the most recent Infonetics (US) survey figures (October 2001) predicting the following utilisation by businesses:
NORTH AMERICA CORPORATIONS: 2000 2005 Small 6% 17% Medium 20% 38% Large 27% 65%
To address similar expected growth in the Australian business market, Request offers service providers a complete broadband access network solution, that utilises existing copper loop infrastructure for high-speed Internet, data and voice over a single DSL-equipped line.
"As businesses and telecommuters demand more cutting edge applications with faster response times, access providers must roll out high-performance networks that support multiple services," said Philip Sykes, Request CEO. "Our multiservice network, with the video conferencing application as just one example, provides the flexibility to support a range of current and future business needs. We intend to become the number one provider of multiservice WAN solutions to service providers Australiawide."
With Request's multiservice broadband access solution, service providers can secure a competitive advantage in this new environment and increase revenues by bundling services over a single broadband link. This enables rapid and cost-effective delivery of services such as high-speed Internet access, voice over IP, virtual private networks and corporate remote access for voice and data without the need for multiple access lines.