SimpleSignal-Vidtel Tie-Up Advances VoIP-Video Integration

Being able to make high-quality video conference calls as easily as regular phone calls represents a big improvement over the status quo. On one hand, it eliminates the aggravation of having to reserve a special video conference room and/or bridge, as with traditional video conferencing systems. On the other, it helps companies avoid the disappointing quality that often accompanies more-flexible services based on Web cams and PCs.

Vidtel's hosted video conferencing service provides such convenient, high-quality video conferencing on its own. But being able to make such video calls as an integrated part of a rich-featured phone service is even better, bringing the promise of unified communications closer to reality. A new tie-up between Vidtel and hosted VoIP provider SimpleSignal provides just such integrated capability.

The tie-up will see SimpleSignal selling the Vidtel service as an extra-cost addition to its already capable SimpleVoIP hosted PBX service. That will allow three or more SimpleSignal users with Polycom VVX 1500 business media phones to hold video conferences merely by dialing specified numbers and entering PINs. The phones have 7-inch touch screens and 2-megapixel cameras, and also support one-touch video calling. The combination provides enterprise-grade video quality, without the need to buy or maintain expensive conference bridges or any equipment other than the videophones themselves. That makes it ideal for SMBs looking for the kind of professional-quality video conferencing capabilities that Web cam/PC-based offerings can't offer.

The commercial and technical integration of the two companies' services represents a big step in the advance of so-called unified communications services, which combine multiple streaming and other communication methods in a single service and interface. The tie-up also highlights a potential technical obstacle to the similar integration of many existing video conferencing systems. Because Vidtel uses SIP-based video transport, its service is easy to integrate with hosted VoIP services, which are also SIP-based. By contrast, most conventional video conferencing systems use the H.323 protocol, which will make them harder to integrate with voice services.

For Vidtel, the deal also represents a promising new route to market. Rather than selling directly to companies, it can use VoIP providers like SimpleSignal as sales channels. While that will boost Vidtel's market opportunities, it will increasingly benefit the providers as well. The more providers offer the Vidtel service to their users, the larger the number of users who will be able to hold video conferences with each other through the service, even when they have different VoIP providers. And the more users a service connects, the more valuable it becomes to all concerned.

Comments

[Larry Lisser]

Well done to my friend Scott Wharton over at Vidtel, and to SimpleSignal for jumping in the pool first. So many of today's newer communications tools (ie. Linkedin) are predicated on user population growth. Hopefully other leading Hosted VoIP providers will jump in as well.