Etisalat today unveiled Abu Dhabi’s first Public Telepresence suite in collaboration with Tata Communications and Cisco.

The launch and demonstration, at a press conference held at Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, was attended by industry specialists and business executives from across the UAE. 

Located at Beach Rotana, the Etisalat Public Telepresence room will provide a high-definition, life-size virtual conferencing experience that emulates an in-person meeting. The new facility is available for hire 24 hours a day and will enable local businesses to virtually connect with partners, customers and colleagues across the world, said a statement.

The Etisalat service provides clients in Abu Dhabi access to a global video network of 42 other Public Telepresence rooms deployed by Tata Communications, in prime business capitals of the world, such as New York, London, Mumbai and Tokyo, to name a few.

Etisalat has developed an interactive, 24x7 online booking system (www.etisalat.ae/telepresence) that will enable businesses to book the Public Telepresence suite for their meetings, in advance. Delivering a live, face-to-face experience, the suite will allow the flexibility to connect with up to six participants on either side of a call between multiple Telepresence centers worldwide. The solution is designed to serve as an affordable and efficient alternative to attendees traveling for global meetings.

Etisalat’s first Public Telepresence room in the UAE was launched at the Dubai World Trade Centre in 2010.

The Public Telepresence room in Abu Dhabi features a Cisco CTS 3010 TelePresence endpoint for the ultimate immersive video experience, and connects to Tata Communications’ global network of Public Rooms, spanning 42 locations across five continents.

Abdulla Al Ahmed, senior vice president – business at Etisalat, said: “The Telepresence service has a global reach as a result of Etisalat’s partnership with industry leaders - Tata Communications and Cisco. Public Telepresence is a transformational tool that has changed the way business meetings are conducted world over. The UAE’s economy is growing rapidly and in an era where physical realities are paving the way for virtual readiness, the new service will help multinationals extend their reach  globally, while reducing operational costs.”
 
In addition to providing an agile connectivity option to traveling business executives, the Public Telepresence room will enable companies in the UAE to use the Telepresence communications service on a pay-as-use basis. This will eliminate the need for them to set up their own facilities, thereby further reducing infrastructure expenses. 

Radwan Moussalli, managing director, Middle East and North Africa, Tata Communications, said: “As Etisalat’s first public Telepresence room in Abu Dhabi, this launch marks another milestone for Tata Communications in the Middle East. As part of our extensive business ecosystem, Etisalat’s Abu Dhabi Telepresence room will have connectivity not only to the Tata Communications’ expansive, global, public room network, but also to all private rooms on our corporate and educational networks around the world, connected via Tata Communications’ Global Meeting Exchange telepresence inter-exchange service.  This makes Etisalat’s Abu Dhabi Telepresence room a truly global collaboration tool.”

Mohammad Tantawi, regional manager, Cisco UAE said: “The potential of video to change the way we do business is significant. Our collaboration with Etisalat, Beach Rotana - Abu Dhabi, and Tata Communications to launch the first public Telepresence solution in Abu Dhabi unleashes the potential of video and marks yet another major landmark for Cisco in the UAE and Etisalat. The Telepresence solution is innovative, yet reliable and cost effective for businesses whatever their size. We look forward to rolling out this solution in many more locations throughout the UAE.” – TradeArabia News Service