Neotel intensifies its African presence

Neotel has intensified its presence in Africa by launching the first public TelePresence facility on the continent, making the public room available for business customers to interact with their global counterparts.

The TelePresence which uses Cisco technology integrates advanced audio, high-definition video and interactive elements with the power of the underlying network to deliver a virtual meeting experience that feels real.

Neotel has introduced this value-added service in response to continued global economic pressures resulting in organisations looking for ways to cut down on overseas corporate travelling in particular. In a recent report, Gartner Inc predicts that due to the current world economic crisis, high-definition based video meeting solutions will impact the global travel industry negatively. Locally, businesses want to reduce operational costs and they are reducing their travel budgets quite significantly.

“The launch of this TelePresence facility is in line with Tata Communications’ global strategy to launch more of these facilities across the globe this year,” says Ajay Pandey, MD and CEO of Neotel. By working closely with Tata Communications, Neotel is able to tap into their global network, providing South Africans with true global connectivity. “We see this as a wonderful opportunity to enable our customers’ businesses by providing them with access to a solution that will streamline operations and reduce travel time and associated costs,” he says.

TelePresence creates the perception that the different parties are sitting in the same room, having a face-to-face meeting, without having to travel to the meeting. “This means the effective use of this technology will save time and money,” says Pandey.

“The business case associated with TelePresence is phenomenal,” says Pandey. “Again we are redefining the South African telecommunications market by challenging the norm and changing the way South Africans communicate among themselves and with the world”

In today’s tight economic conditions organisations need to find creative ways of driving down costs yet remain competitive. “It is a win-win situation, our customers can continue running their businesses, whilst driving down travel costs,” he concludes.

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