Federation Interconnection and ENUM Registry Services Promote More Rapid Adoption of Video Communications

LONDON – Dec 5, 2011 – With VoIP now a mature, dependable service capability for users and service providers around the world, one of the next big milestones on the global communications horizon is widespread adoption of IP-based video communications.

But unlike attaining the delivery of consistently high-quality voice services worldwide – which service providers, equipment manufacturers and exchanges reached fairly quickly by agreeing on SIP – achieving broad, global interconnectivity of video calling of acceptable quality for conducting business anywhere in the world at any time is exponentially more complicated.

XConnect helps service providers, and ultimately their users, see their way through bewildering choices by enabling secure and multi-protocol interconnection and interworking between disparate video communities, networks and devices. The company’s services make video calling as simple and ubiquitous as traditional voice calling – regardless of network, video service or device – and remove the need for any prerequisite knowledge on the part of call participants.

The XConnect Video Interconnection Exchange (VIE) provides the world’s first neutral clearinghouse for exchanging video traffic between network and video service providers. A single connection to VIE offers video-enabled operators immediate multilateral interconnection to each other, with full configurability, control and policy. Five service providers and operators have partnered with XConnect for these interconnection services.

Video service providers and exchanges also may use XConnect’s ENUM-based registry – the largest directory of its kind – separately from VIE to route video traffic. This streamlines the routing of video sessions between video endpoints reached by any network. The registry can be used to determine whether an endpoint can support video calls; the type of device; and other technical information, such as type of codec used, frame rates and size of screen, to ensure optimal quality.

“With voice, we have shown that a federation approach holds many benefits for service providers and users,” said XConnect CEO Eli Katz. “Now we’re applying the same concept to raise video calling to the next level. Users get the ability to conduct business-quality video calls more quickly, while service providers save on their investments in facilities. Clearly, the federation and ENUM registry solutions provide a win-win scenario for all concerned.”

Primarily focused on enabling cross-network service provider video calling, XConnect’s VIE is designed to dramatically accelerate worldwide adoption of video calling and conferencing by service providers, enterprises and consumers.

In one example, BCS Global, a managed videoconferencing, telepresence and visual collaboration service provider, has interconnected its Public Switched Video Network (PSVN) with VIE. PSVN enables videoconferencing service providers and carriers to seamlessly interconnect their B2B video exchanges.

The two companies view their interconnection arrangement as a significant step toward further resolving B2B video interoperability, directory and interconnection challenges. The relationship provides scalable, secure and policy-based video interconnections.

"Partnering with XConnect will expand the number of reachable video endpoints to BCS Global's user community, and also provide XConnect's service provider customer base with easy access to BCS Global's B2B video exchange and VNOC services," said BCS CTO Dan Tanel.