AT&T, Tata Communications scale their global telepresence reach

AT&T (NYSE: T) and Tata Communications (NYSE: TCL) on Tuesday signed an interconnection agreement in which Tata will be able to extend its video collaboration to a broader set of global locations.

With this agreement, which enables both service providers to offer telepresence over each of their respective networks, in place, Tata will be able to complement its growing set of telepresence services partners to better serve its multi-site business customers.

This latest pact is part of a broader ecosystem in which service providers can align and interconnect their business video communities to provide enterprises with two main benefits: a better quality of experience and reach to other global telepresence rooms to connect with their own employees and other partners.

The deal is part of Tata's Global Meeting Alliance, an open business video ecosystem initiative which was launched last February with nine global service providers to interconnect their respective business video networks.

"The agreement with AT&T is the latest step in our strategy to make business video a truly global collaboration tool for enterprises, regardless of network, service provider or location," said Peter Quinlan, vice president of Integrated Business Video Services at Tata Communications.

AT&T and Tata aren't the only service providers to develop an agreement. Tata has also signed similar agreements with Sprint (NYSE: S) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ), while BT is working with Orange to expand its telepresence reach.

While telepresence systems are far from ubiquitous in every business, video continues to be a big driver of global Internet traffic growth. According to a recent study by Informa Telecoms & Media, "video accounts for 50 percent of annual internet traffic growth."

For more:
- see the release

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