Video conferencing hardware vendor VideoServer Inc has outlined its plans to voice-enable web sites and said it has changed the company name to Ezenia! Inc, in order to reflect its shift in focus to voice over IP technology.
Ezenia claims to have a 70% market share of the videoconferencing market but says that VOIP has the potential to be more lucrative. It will release product in the first half of next year that will enable internet service providers and web hosting firms to host voice chat sites. The company will sell to service providers wishing to differentiate themselves, as well as bodies wishing to add voice interactivity to distance learning.
It calls the boxes interactivity servers and claims they will enable ISPs to add stickiness to sites by allowing moderated and free-form breakout groups to form after online events so users can chat. As the system will use VOIP, users can chat globally at local call rates. No special equipment is needed at the client end except for a microphone and speakers and software such as Microsoft Corp’s Netmeeting, which comes standard on most new PCs.
