Polycom Adds Audioconferencing To Videoconferencing Bridges

Polycom

With the upgrade, version 4.6 of Polycom's MGC videoconferencing platform supports PSTN and voice-over-IP audio calls as well as ISDN and IP video calls, said David Gallagher, vice president of product marketing and business development at Polycom, Pleasanton.

"In terms of the channel, this gives them the opportunity to grow their business," Gallagher said. "Not only can they can go into accounts and talk to them about video, but they can also talk to them about voice."

To add audioconferencing to an existing Polycom bridge, customers must have the new software version, a 24- or 48-port audio card and Polycom's voice conferencing software,a $10,000 application suite that has been shipping on Polycom's VoicePlus audioconferencing bridge since March, Gallagher said.

Customers are increasingly bringing audioconferencing in-house to cut back on the monthly fees paid for audioconferencing services, said Joe Gagan, senior analyst at Yankee Group.

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"Bringing this type of equipment in-house makes sense in a lot of cases," Gagan said.

Combining audio- and videoconferencing on the same platform could be an attractive option for some customers, said Leo Flotron, president of Wire One, a Hillside, N.J.-based videoconferencing solution provider.

"If you had a small audio requirement, this would be a good way to do it," Flotron said.

However, customers that rely heavily on audioconferencing would likely find it more cost-effective to buy a stand-alone audio bridge, Flotron said.

Video bridges are typically more expensive per port than audio bridges, Flotron said.

Polycom accounts for about 40 percent of Wire One's overall business, which is on a run rate of $108 to $110 million in revenue this year, Flotron said.

MGC software 4.6 is now available for $15,000.

Polycom plans to release version 5.0 of the MGC platform late in the fourth quarter, which will add the capability to assign conference identification numbers and passwords to enable dial-in videoconferences, Gallagher said.