BT, Orange and Cisco team up for telepresence sharing

BT and Orange Business Services are to allow each others' customers to hold telepresence meetings with one another, using Cisco's TelePresence technology.

The service has already been trialled with a number of major enterprise partners and is available for BT and Orange Telepresence Community customers from today.

BT and Orange have already committed to breaking down the barriers between providers' networks. BT said it wanted to "enlarge the global telepresence community."

"This agreement is the latest addition to the expansion of the video industry's connectivity capabilities and is an important step forward," said Rich Lowe, CEO of BT Conferencing.

"It demonstrates our commitment to increasing the network of accessible telepresence locations for our customers and increasing the return on their investments."

Customers will have to contact their provider to learn about using the inter-company service and there will be no additional cost, as their contracts will remain with the same vendor.

"The broader the range of companies that customers can connect with through telepresence, the higher the return on investment in collaborative technology," added Andrew McFadzen, head of international network solutions at Orange Business Services.