The growth of audio and video conferencing in India has given rise to an array of multinational players, wanting to be a part of this boom. The spurt in the overall Asia Pacific video conferencing market is expected to be led by the corporate sector, where converged voice, data and video solutions are likely to have their strongest appeal, primarily as productivity tools for knowledge workers.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the videoconferencing market in 2005-06 touched Rs 65.6 crore and is likely to grow at a CAGR of 24.9% till 2011. The videoconferencing market in India offers great potential for growth too. There is a growth explosion expected (30% for the next two years) in the medium-term, beyond which growth rates will stabilise at 22%. Not only the large enterprises, but even the SMBs are adopting videoconferencing solutions, recognising the vast benefits they offer.

With the wide scale adoption of ICT technologies, as well as the onset of 3G video conferencing and increasing popularity of software-based solutions and enhanced collaborative tools, videoconferencing is being increasingly offered as part of the product mix by varying solution providers.

LifeSize Communications, a player in the audio-video conferencing market recently unveiled its strategy to tap the rapidly developing Indian videoconferencing market. The company has come up with latest technology enabled conferencing tools with competitive prices for the Indian customers.

Shift towards high definition videoconferencing

The price and availability of bandwidth will be the driving forces behind videoconferencing adoption in India. Being more productive at lower costs and shorter time to market are pertinent for the companies to gain competitive edge.

High definition videoconferencing is emerging as the top trend in the audio and video conferencing segment. The technology presents several advantages over traditional video-conferencing techniques, as it enhances the quality and optimises information communicated through video conferencing tools, thereby significantly advancing business communication and human interaction. Also, the popular myth that such solutions are exorbitantly priced is untrue, as the entry of various players in the Indian fray has drastically reduced the prices.

LifeSize as a company is known for its high definition technology enabled products. According to K. Shivasankar, country manager, India, LifeSize Communications, "The shift to all-IP networks has been phenomenal for LifeSize. One of our central design philosophies is to deliver superior quality at any bandwidth, and with IP networks now ubiquitous, most organisations have the available bandwidth to handle high-definition video calls without modification."

Delivering better price performance

In order to expand its reach across pan India, LifeSize recently partnered with three distributors in India and is optimistic about the Indian market. Shivasankar opines, "LifeSize will continue to conceptualise, design and deliver high definition video communications products that provide a productive, true-to-life experience at affordable prices. Asian markets and more particularly Indian markets are very sensitive to price. LifeSize has consistently challenged itself in delivering better price performance through its products."

LifeSize has opened a design centre in Bangalore to focus on software development for high definition video conferencing products. The Bangalore engineering team uses the company’s products to collaborate closely with their counterparts in Austin, Texas. The centre is engaged in developing software that handles several critical interfaces within the LifeSize product offerings.

SMBs to generate revenue

Although large enterprises, governments, academic institutions and health care organisations have been early adopters of videoconferencing solutions in India, LifeSize is eyeing the vast SMB community as a major revenue provider for them. "We have found tremendous interest in the small and medium business (SMB) market. These companies have typically never used videoconferencing and are delighted when they experience their first high-definition video call. We find that these customers are some of the most eager users; they make video calls throughout the day and distribute the technology among a wider range of employees. They are power users," concludes Shivasankar.