Once on a call, users can leverage the MCS' enhanced Web collaboration capabilities. Users can publish presentations for full collaboration and share applications while conducting sidebar chats. Although the MCS has always had ad hoc audio conferencing, this release adds Meet Me conferencing, where individuals can dial into a bridge number for mixed audio, video, and Web collaboration serving up to 1,500 endpoints.
THIRD PARTIES
Although point-to-point video was available in earlier MCS versions, release 3.0 adds videoconferencing to the mix through a deal with Polycom. Nortel has tested compatibility between it and Polycom's client, so users can launch a video call from either a Nortel or Polycom client.
The MCS offers two types of conferencing. Active Speaker, where the image of the person speaking is broadcast to the conference participants, is bundled with the MCS. Actual multipoint videoconferencing, where all participants are shown, requires a Polycom MCU, either the 3000 or the 7000 series.
Polycom has similar arrangements with other telephony server vendors, the most recent addition being Avaya's IP Video Telephony solution. Like Nortel, Avaya has video built into its softphone. However, the Avaya solution only provides point-to-point video, not multipoint. Avaya's solution also requires the use of a Polycom camera, bringing its cost to at least $359 per seat for existing Avaya softphone customers, or $429 per seat for non-softphone customers. The Polycom camera's codecs run in hardware, allowing Avaya's IP Video Telephony to work with older PCs. Nortel's solution can use any camera, which cuts costs by $300 or more, but may also affect video quality depending on the client hardware.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
