Tandberg Targets Smaller Meetings With T1 Telepresence

Tandberg has expanded its Total Telepresence product line after launching the T1 Telepresence, which it says combines the same features as its T3 product, but is more suited for smaller groups or regional offices.

Tandberg is currently in the middle of being acquired by Cisco, after the networking giant announced in early October that would pay $3 billion for the company in order to expand its video conferencing capabilities.

Back in August Tandberg unveiled its Telepresence T3 technology, which is labelled as an “immersive” video conferencing offering for enterprises that included distinctive blue lighting, 65-inch screens and other features to give users the sense that all those at the meeting are actually in the room.

While the T3 was designed for large-scale meetings, Tandberg is now also catering for smaller meetings with the Telepresence T1.

“The T1 enables two people to communicate in a true telepresence environment with peers, customers and partners no matter what type of system they use,” Hakon Dahle, Tandberg chief technologist, said in a statement.

Dahle also said that the touchscreen features on the T3 also are being used for the T1. Like the T3, the T1 works with the entire Tandberg product portfolio, as well as Microsoft’s Office Communications Server and other standards-based video endpoints, such as PC-based, desktop and room-based video systems.

Cisco is aggressively expanding its presence in the video collaboration space. Video is a key part of what Cisco officials see as a $34 billion collaboration technology market.

CEO John Chambers has extolled the benefits of video conferencing, and has said that his own company will use its telepresence capabilities in its own meetings and for major product launches, rather than paying to fly people in from all over the world.

Tandberg is attractive to Cisco not only for its technology but its presence in the mid-market space. Cisco sells more to larger enterprises.