The Hindu : Business : Cisco launches new technology solution

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 28, 2007
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Cisco launches new technology solution

Anand Parthasarathy

Telepresence offers realism beyond conventional system

The cost of the system ranges
from $80,000 to $300,000
The system is being deployed as a pay-by-use service by many agencies worldwide

BANGALORE: Media persons in Bangalore were among the first in the country on Wednesday to experience new ‘telepresence’ technology launched here by the U.S.-based networking leader Cisco when interacting with a company executive, based in Singapore.

The bits and pieces that go to make the solution are all fairly common: a good broadband Internet connection; three of the largest-available LCD TV screens of high definition quality; sensitive hi-fidelity microphones and speaker systems; a triple-eye camera..... but the hardware and specially created software combine to provide a level of audiovisual effect that justifies Cisco’s product mantra: “being here, is being there”. The telepresence solution that had a soft launch in India some months ago, had already resulted in a number of orders, Cisco spokespersons said — the cost of the system that ranges from $80,000 to $300,000 (Rs. 33 lakh to Rs. 1.2 crore).

The system is being deployed as a pay-by-use service by many agencies worldwideand the feeling of ‘being there’ is so palpable that it has been used even to sign international agreements.

Ranajoy Punja, Cisco’s Vice-President for Advanced Technologies (India and SAARC) explained that telepresence was one of the emerging technologies being deployed by the company — the others were video surveillance/ security and digital media systems — with a view to giving a new customer-focussed, network-centric thrust to its offerings.

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