[December 6, 2002]

Centile Announces Broadband Video Support For Hosted IPBX

Centile, a subsidiary of 8x8, Inc., announced that it has launched broadband video communications support as part of the Hosted iPBX. The product enhancement includes support for the 8x8 DV325 IP videophone as well as integration with Microsoft's XP messenger video communications platform. Businesses that are served by the Centile Hosted iPBX will be able to add the new videophone devices to their existing PBX networks as a regular extension. A user is able to make and receive regular extension to extension audio calls as well as PSTN calls. However, if the called party has a compatible video device, the system will automatically connect with broadband video as well as audio.

"There are two major criteria to enable wide acceptance of video communications in the enterprise," said Jean Vincent, Centile's chief technology officer. "The first is audio and video of sufficient quality so that it is a compelling communications experience, and the second is to make the use of video as simple as possible. The bandwidth now available on enterprise broadband networks enables television quality video while maintaining high audio quality, and Centile's iPBX now supplies the user interface for video devices that people already know how to use -- just pick up the phone, hear a dial tone, and then dial a phone number."

Centile's Hosted iPBX provides a complete set of business communications features. These include standard PBX features, such as: voice mail, auto attendant, 3-way conferencing, call forwarding/find-me options, do not disturb, call waiting, hunt/ring/FAX groups, as well as new computer telephony features that are only possible with a converged network. The addition of simple, high quality video communication is an example of the type of new feature that can be seamlessly integrated into an IP PBX system that cannot be implemented by traditional PBXs.

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