By providing reductions in travel costs and quicker decision making processes, companies of all sizes, all over the world, are now benefiting from the power of video conferencing. Commercial video conferencing bares no; resemblance to the; personal, Internet based 'Net meeting’ type applications. Commercial video conferencing can provide full, true motion video as well as facilities to share whiteboards and even to share PC screens of presentations etc.

Video conferencing is, however, bandwidth intensive; and while some non ISDN protocols (notably SIP) are moving towards new types of video conferencing, the current, international standard is based on utilization of ISDN lines and a series of protocols known as H.320. There are some, small desktop systems which will operate on one Basic Rate ISDN line but most systems require a minimum of 3 Basic Rate lines and the more advanced systems will require more

The cost of the equipment is far from prohibitive and the cost of the telephone calls far cheaper than flying from one location to another. Etisalat now offers ISDN connectivity to over 35 countries. Robust international standards and protocols mean that most manufacturers' equipment will work with all others and ISDN standards ensure that the bandwidth requirements are clearly stipulated. However, differences within the hardware of the data compression equipment used can cause variances in quality. It is always a good idea, therefore, to test the connectivity between the system you intend to purchase and the systems/countries you intend to call on a regular basis before making a final purchase decision. Remember also that it is not always essential for the person you are calling to have their own video conferencing equipment. Many bureaus offer video conferencing suites for hire and some will even rent the equipment. Some hotels also provide the service. Video conferencing is becoming commonplace for international business. The possibilities are endless, the facilities and features are easy to use and the cost benefits easy to see and take advantage of- Video conferencing systems provide many features, some of which are only available on the higher models. Such features include multiple cameras and 'follow-me' cameras (the camera tracks the speaker so they can move around the room and the people at the other end of the conference will always be able to see them). Other camera features include the ability to remotely move the camera in another location (allowing the viewer to decide what/who they want to look at). Small desktop conferencing systems come complete with camera and microphone and utilize a standard TV set for display while larger models are supplied with specialist monitors.  Some support many monitors to view multiple locations simultaneously as well as viewing PC screens and shared, virtual white boards.

At Emirates Telecom Lab we ensure that Video Conferencing equipment meet international standards and are compatible with the Etisalat networks