HD Voice Adoption Slow in EMEA, But on the Rise: Polycom

Embracing new technology can be a bit intimidating, especially when businesses don’t know how it works or what it can do for their operation. But a little education can go a long way.

 

That’s the stance Polycom, a Pleasanton, Calif.-based provider of telepresence, video conferencing services, is taking with its HD Voice technology. The company is on a mission to clear up skepticism about the technology, which offers twice the clarity of traditional phone calls for more vibrant conversations.

 

TMCnet put some questions to Patricia Finlayson, Polycom’s (News - Alert) voice product marketing manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa, about HD Voice and its growth opportunities.

 

Our exchange follows.

Patricia Finlayson (pictured below): There is some cynicism in EMEA as to the benefits of HD Voice.  However, from my experiences when talking to customers and partners, once the difference between SD Voice and HD Voice has been demonstrated via the IP7000, for example, they understand the business benefits to them and their customers.  So, initial uptake has been slow in Europe, but as more service providers start offering HD bundled services there will be a surge in customers implementing HD Voice across their organizations.

 

PF: I disagree – HD Voice is one of several key growth opportunities in EMEA…for instance it enables HD conferencing via services like ZipDX.  Another growth opportunity is via the desktop with Microsoft (News - Alert) Office Communications Server 2007 and the telephony component of that –in combination with Polycom’s range of handsets – bringing HD Voice to the desktop. Offering a higher sample rate does not necessarily improve quality. Only when matched with various DSP functionalities can a HD conversation be made effective, such as:

* Acoustic Echo Cancellation
* Adaptive Gain Control
* Packet Loss Concealment

PF: We have some large retail organizations in EMEA that have standardized on Polycom handsets – who have now realized the benefits of HD Voice when talking to their customers. There are less misunderstandings, and as a result better customer satisfaction.

PF: By about 10 percent for HD Voice products

PF: The introduction of the IP335 – an entry level HD handset that introduces the benefits of the technology to the ‘normal’ office worker. I think that EMEA as a region is not as far advanced down the HD Voice road as North America, but on a par with the rest of the world.