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<BODY TEXT="#000000" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> <P> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="469"> <TR> <TD><FONT FACE="Verdana, Arial"><B>Background</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial"><B><BR> <BR> <IMG SRC="images/vc5.gif" WIDTH="150" HEIGHT="147" ALIGN="LEFT" ALT="Videoconferencing Image" BORDER="0" HSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="147" ALIGN="LEFT" ALT="Invisible Spacer Graphic" BORDER="0" HSPACE="0"></B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" FACE="Verdana, Arial"><I>Virtual Presence</I> is the latest iteration of the continuing search by humans to overcome distance and time. This began with horses and has progressed through the wheel, ships, trains, automobiles, airplanes, telephones and now high speed telecommunications.<BR> <I><BR> Virtual Presence</I> is the direct out growth and successor to video and audio conferencing. It has been made possible by the confluence of low cost personal computers, falling broadband telecommunications prices and the IP (internet protocol) standard.<BR> <BR> Audio conferencing (teleconferencing) has been around for a long time and is a productivity tool in the sense that people can talk to each other without physically being in the same place. Its limitations, of course, are that it is voice only and that conferences of any size become unwieldy if there is any interaction. Its advantage is that it is close to being ubiquitous.<BR> <BR> Video conferencing was the next 'telecommunications attempt' to overcome distance and time. The advantage was that video was added to audio providing the ability to see the other parties and things, such as diagrams, which were held up to the camera. The obstacles to the wide spread deployment and acceptance of video conferencing were, first, the high price (typically hundreds of thousands of dollars) for a conference room setup and secondly the need to use very expensive ISDN or private line telecommunications connections. Video conferencing rooms could be rented but this meant travel to a location and expensive hourly charges. Video conferencing was also limited by its inability to enable collaboration in real time on documents, meaning that documents to be reviewed had to be delivered in advance and then discussed - not worked on.<BR> <BR> Nevertheless the advantages of video conferencing were recognized, and that, in combination with the wide acceptance of the IP protocol, inexpensive personal computers and cameras and falling prices for broadband telecommunications led to the introduction of <I>Virtual Presence</I>. <BR> <I><BR> Virtual Presence </I>combines audio and video conferencing, document sharing, file transfer and white boarding in a package that allows people using their personal computers to conference through a server (switch) to collaborate and work together with the same ease of use and spontaneity as with a voice conference call.<BR> <I><BR> Virtual Presence </I>works because of an ITU standard, called H323, which was adopted in 1998. That standard is based on IP which essentially breaks down anything it receives (voice, video, etc.) into packets. These packets are then reassembled by any other device supporting the H.323 standard.<BR> <I><BR> Virtual Presence </I>is used to ð avoid travel and its associated financial and soft costs (time away and wear and tear), ð speed up decision making and project completion, ð enable more effective and timely training, ð enhance community of interest and supplier chain relationships and, ð improve customer service.</FONT><BR> <BR> <FONT SIZE="2" FACE="Verdana, Arial">There are visual collaboration packages available for the internet, however, the public internet does not support the quality of service (QoS) and security necessary to provide true <I>Virtual Presence</I>. BCS's services, however, leverage the QoS properties and security of corporate networks to provide true <I>Virtual Presence</I>.</FONT></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><IMG SRC="images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="25" HEIGHT="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" ALT="Invisible Spacer Graphic" BORDER="0"></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD> <CENTER> <P> <HR> <FONT SIZE="2" FACE="Verdana, Arial"><B>Broadband Collaborative Solutions Inc.<BR> </B>330 Highway 7 East,<BR> Suite 202<BR> Richmond Hill, ON<IMG SRC="images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="10" HEIGHT="5" ALIGN="BOTTOM" ALT="Spacer Graphic" BORDER="0">L4B 3P8<BR> Phone: (905) 762-9510 - Fax: (905) 762-9511</FONT> </CENTER> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <A HREF="index.html" target="_top"><FONT SIZE="2" FACE="verdana, arial">Home</FONT></A></P> <P><FONT SIZE="2" FACE="Verdana, Arial">If you are viewing this text, your browser lacks the ability to read frames.<BR> Don't worry, you can still enjoy our site. All the pages can be viewed from<BR> the contents page. Please come inside!</FONT></P> <P><A HREF="contents.html"><FONT SIZE="2" FACE="verdana, arial">Contents</FONT></A> </BODY>