The initiative to standardize high definition video conferencing services (HDVC) keeps growing

The first commercial pilots will be developed during the first half of the 2013, specifically focused on corporate clients. These pilots will be carried out by Telefónica, BT, Deutsche Telekom and Telecom Italia with the support of Ericsson, Italtel, GENBAND, Quanta y Polycom.

BT, GENBAND, Huawei, KPN y ZTE have joined as new members of the HDVC initiative (High Definition Video Conferencing Initiative), an industry proposal that, since its launch last year, works to guarantee interoperability in videoconference and video-call services, and thus advance in the standardization of these services.

This is one more step on the part of this initiative that, in this way, It already has the commitment and support of both the world's leading telecommunications operators (BT, Deutsche Telekom AG, KPN, France Telecom-Orange, Telecom Italia y Telefónica) as one of the leading providers of solutions and infrastructure in the sector (Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, GENBAND, Italtel, Polycom, How many Computers, Huawei and ZTE).

HDVC, an initiative open to all interested parties, develops its work activity based on a simple and cooperative organization model. The initiative has technically defined an open environment, interoperable and integrated by several operators – based on 3GPP specifications, Existing IETF and GSMA – which allows these services to be offered, easily and through different networks and video equipment, regardless of the country of origin and destination of the call and without the need for support from the operator's call center.

This open environment will allow video conferencing services to become a fully interoperable mass market where everything can connect, from mobile phones and tablets to telepresence rooms, within a single network with global support, thus promoting the growth of these services that until now have been limited by lack of interoperability between networks and manufacturers. In fact, Current video conferencing services only operate in closed environments and face significant difficulties when switching networks and/or video equipment from different manufacturers located in different countries..

The massive deployment of fully interoperable videoconferencing services will allow collaboration between professionals and companies from different countries to be more efficient, thanks to the reduction in the number of trips necessary, and therefore the costs associated with transport items, while also reducing carbon emissions, which benefits the environment.

The initiative plans to launch commercial pilots, national and international, during the first half of 2013, specifically focused on corporate clients. These pilots will be carried out by Telefónica, BT, Deutsche Telekom and Telecom Italia with the support of Ericsson, Italtel, GENBAND, Quanta and Polycom as network and connection endpoint providers. This will mean, definitely, a step forward in the commercialization of these services and the capture of opportunities by all members of the initiative.