Vidtel, SimpleSignal Team Up for Video Conferencing Solution

SimpleSignal, a service provider of hosted business telephone solutions for small and midsize businesses, and Vidtel, an innovative video conferencing service provider, announced a distribution agreement to market Vidtel's Hosted Multi-Point Video Conferencing Service to SimpleSignal’s hosted unified communications customers. The companies said they partnered to deliver a hosted solution that even the smallest enterprises will find accessible. SimpleSignal said it would begin offering the solution to customers beginning in the second quarter of 2010.

SimpleSignal is a facilities-based hosted PBX and Unified Communications service provider that also offers SIP Trunking services, advanced Voice Apps and Polycom IP Phone equipment. Vidtel offers an open, inter-enterprise video conferencing network, and the company’s multipoint video conferencing service integrates with SimpleSignal’s BroadSoft BroadWorks application server with Vidtel’s video conferencing service and Polycom VVXTM 1500 business media phones. The service enables three or more VVX 1500s to connect via a dial-in number for multiway video conferencing.

“Now small to medium-sized businesses have no need for an extensive video conferencing system – a few people with a video phone can now easily dial a regular number to be connected. Previously, only point-to-point calling was realistic on these devices,” said SimpleSignal CEO Dave Gilbert. “This service also advances unified communications, seamlessly integrating video conferencing with our hosted VOIP service and amplifying the value of SimpleSignal’s hosted VOIP offer. We’re excited to be delivering this service with Vidtel, a cutting-edge video conferencing service provider.”

SimpleSignal also recently launched an HD Voice Conference Bridge solution to its list of hosted PBX calling features and voice apps. The company’s new conferencing service allows up to 100 callers to participate in unlimited HD audio conference calls for one flat rate of $29 per month, with volume discounts available. SimpleSignal uses the HD Audio Codec, G.722, which doubles the sample rate and the high and low frequency rate. The company noted users must be on the SimpleSignal network with a Polycom HD Voice IP phone or equivalent, as legacy phone systems don’t support the G.722 codec.

Last year Vidtel launched a video calling service for the Polycom VVX 1500 Business Media Phone, a full-featured telephone equipped with Polycom HD Voice, personal video conferencing, and an interactive information portal for integrated business applications. “SimpleSignal is well-recognized as a visionary service provider in the hosted voice market, often the first to roll out new applications and products to its SMB customers,” said Vidtel CEO Scott Wharton. “We are excited to help fulfill SimpleSignal’s objective of bringing simplified unified communications to SMBs of all sizes with our multipoint video conferencing service.”