PGi Powers HD Audio and Video Conferencing with Mobile Collaboration Exchange
The way we work has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Nowadays, working no longer means staying tied to an office desk for hours, and collaborating with fellow employees no longer means just meeting in the conference room. The rise of mobile technology and various advances in cloud communications have allowed workers to work from anywhere at any time. And to ensure that today’s modern workforce consistently enjoy a seamless communication and collaboration experience, Premiere Global Services, Inc. (PGi), the world’s largest dedicated provider of collaboration solutions, has announced the launch of mobile collaboration exchange.
A first-of-its-kind technology, mobile collaboration exchange is an innovative solution that enables mobile operators to deliver high-definition (HD) audio, video conferencing and collaboration from any Voice over LTE device. In a recent interview, Pat Harper, the Chief Technology Officer at PGi, shared how the mobile collaboration exchange enhances the communication and collaboration experience of workers and explains how PGi’s collaboration solutions further meet the needs of today’s employee.
Enabling Mobile HD Communication
As today’s organizations employ a more mobile, globalized workforce, the need for high-quality mobile technology and services has become crucial. Solutions that deliver HD audio, for instance, are highly favorable as they ultimately lead to higher quality calls and an improvement in productivity. And with the introduction of PGi’s latest technology, businesses can ensure seamless communication when it matters most.
“Currently, mobile HD audio is only experienced on a point-to-point call; but now, by integrating with PGi’s platform, HD audio conferencing can be leveraged by any VoLTE customer on any network, in any country,” the company said in a release. Introduced in a Power Hour session at Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry in Barcelona, mobile collaboration exchange utilizes PGi’s existing global conferencing network and audio infrastructure to allow operators to provide an exceptional audio and video conferencing experience to their mobile customers.
According to Harper, the newest technology was developed largely due to the increased prevalence of mobile devices being used in the workplace. “With 36 percent of PGi’s audio and web conferences currently being accessed via mobile devices, the mobile collaboration exchange comes at a pivotal time when enterprises are beginning to recognize this shift towards a mobile first preference for conference calls,” said Harper.
PGi has seen mobile participation in its hosted conferences soar to more than 36 percent in 2016, up from less than five percent back in 2005. This, in turn, reflects the growing popularity of mobile phone use among knowledge workers. PGi predicts that by 2020, mobile participation will surpass 66 percent due to the increased quality of HD. “PGi is excited to take our HD collaboration experience and extend our mobile collaboration exchange to network operators and their customers around the world,” Harper added.
How PGi Gives Businesses a Collaborative Advantage
In addition to the mobile collaboration exchange offering for mobile operators, PGi also has an expansive portfolio of products for conferencing, collaboration, and communications to suit companies of all sizes.
- iMeet - a bundled web, audio, and video conferencing solution that allows businesses and employees to communicate and collaborate more effectively through an array of features. Available on any device, iMeet presents a more personalized online meeting experience thanks to features like peer-to-peer voice and video calls, file and link sharing, industry-leading HD video for up to 15 participants, and superior audio quality with Dolby Voice.
- GlobalMeet - a web and audio conferencing product for larger groups. GlobalMeet was built to allow users to share presentations and collaborate with ease online. it offers hassle-free entry and fast access to users from any device.
- Agenday - Part of the iMeet collaboration suite, Agenday by PGi is a free mobile calendar and productivity app that lets users take control of their day. It features a simple interface that offers users a one-touch conference call and web meeting access, and more.
PGi’s range of products is suitable for companies that seek to streamline collaboration as they combine a wide range of features into a single, unified experience. Harper says they have noticed the growing popularity of all-in-one tools due to the efficiency and convenience they bring. “This way, employees are not forced to constantly shift between different tools. Instead, they have an all-in-one collaboration experience to ensure maximum productivity free from technical distractions," he explained. PGi also offers audio conferencing integrations that help extend the value of collaboration products like Skype for Business to global locations.
Looking towards the future of communications in the voice space, Harper believes that there will be an uptick in business collaboration across mobile smartphones as businesses grow globally. Companies will desire more collaboration tools that can connect employees across various locations while still creating a collaborative environment that keeps meetings productive. "PGi looks forward to being at the forefront of smart meeting innovation, to integrating features into our collaboration portfolio to ensure that the meetings of tomorrow are pivotal pieces of an interconnected process rather than unwelcome, busywork-generating clutter on our calendar," said Harper. He also mentioned that IoT and VR will also play an important role in the future of communications in the coming years, too.
For more details about PGi’s mobile collaboration exchange and to find out more about their range of collaboration solutions, visit their website.
About PGi
PGi is a trusted global provider of collaboration software and services. Founded in 1991, PGi has catered to the collaboration needs of enterprises, providing them with tools and technologies that are available anywhere, anytime, and on any device, enhancing productivity and boosting teamwork. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and to date has hosted over 1.2 billion people from 155 countries in nearly 300 million virtual meetings, and has nearly 50,000 enterprise customers including 75 percent of the Fortune 100.