21 November 2002 RadVision has deployed an integrated videoconferencing solution to FastWeb, a Milan-based service provider who provides bundled broadband voice, video, and data services in Italy.
The initial agreement, signed in Q1 2002, called for the purchase and installation of videoconferencing infrastructure equipment to support a mass deployment of video telephony infrastructure across Italy.
A substantial portion of the contract has already been fulfilled, with the remainder of the product to be delivered to FastWeb and rolled out to the field by the end of the year. Having gone live on October 15, 2002, FastWeb is now providing video telephony services in many key cities throughout Italy, with plans to expand the service throughout the country over the next year.
The end-to-end videoconferencing solution provided by RADVISION will enable FastWeb to offer point-to-point and multipoint video telephony services to its business and residential customers.
The service, with its goal of providing video communication with the same ease of use, cost and reliability as traditional phone service, compliments FastWeb's existing offerings of integrated Internet access, telephony (VoIP), cable television and video?on-demand services delivered through a single fiber optic broadband connection to the home or business.
"This deployment is a testament both to the huge potential of IP-based video telephony in a managed service environment and to RadVision's strong progress in breaking into this new market and executing on our goal of closing three to four major deals in 2002," said Gadi Tamari, CEO of RadVision.
"In delivering integrated voice, video, and data services through a single fiber optic IP broadband connection, FastWeb has established itself as one of the most advanced service providers in the world today," Tamari adds.
"Adding video telephony to this mix is the natural evolution of FastWeb's offerings and is a business and technology model that we see spreading to other service providers, both in Europe and worldwide."
Based on the viaIP 400 platform, the RadVision solution features an IP-based video switching matrix and IP-based call control, enabling the system to seamlessly integrate into FastWeb's existing IP network infrastructure.
Additionally, because the RadVision technology interworks with other protocols such as ISDN, FastWeb customers will be able to use the RADVISION-powered solution for industry-grade point-to-point and multiparty video telephony and videoconferencing sessions with any other user or session, regardless of the other end points' manufacturers or technology platform.