During the first quarter 2009, the AT&T Business Solutions entered several new markets, including the AT&T Telepresence Solution and the introduction of a wireless capability to bring smart grid technology to the residential utility market. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to invest approximately $1 billion during 2009 in its global network along with new services and network-based applications.
The AT&T Telepresence Solution allows companies to connect telepresence sessions with their existing H.323 compatible legacy videoconferencing systems, offering a means to leverage historically under-utilized systems. As a result, companies that have made prior investments in video-conferencing technology will now be able to extend the life of their legacy systems. AT&T Business Solutions further announced plans to double the number of Cisco TelePresence rooms deployed at its locations throughout the U.S. and globally.
Also during the quarter, AT&T Business Solutions teamed up with smart grid solutions provider SmartSynch to launch a new suite of service plans for electric utility companies looking to provide the benefits of smart grid technology to the residential sector. The new solution offers utilities a cost-effective, IP-based, point-to-point configuration model in which ‘smart meters’ communicate directly with the utility over a wireless network. Following that rollout, Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP) announced it had selected the SmartSynch/AT&T SmartMetersolution for a 10,000 unit point-to-point trial deployment to residential customers throughout the utility’s Texas market.
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