November 02, 2005
Wednesday

More and more businesses, educational institutions, medical facilities and government agencies across Alaska are turning to video teleconferencing as a cost-effective and more efficient way of holding meetings and sharing critical, time-sensitive data. The technology also reduces or eliminates travel times, which is critical in Alaska, and also makes communication more personal.

Over the past month, AT&T Alascom has managed three major long-distance video teleconferences that have brought Alaskans closer to elected leaders and enabled local officials to honor a soldier serving in Iraq.

The first event was a September video teleconference that connected the Alaska State Chamber's Annual Convention with the State's congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. The live video link allowed business leaders to hear a legislative update first-hand from Senators Stevens and Murkowski and Congressman Young.

Two weeks later, an Alascom video connection between U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton and the 8th World Wilderness Conference held in Anchorage enabled participants to hear the Secretary's perspective on the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the Natural Gas Pipeline, and other relevant issues facing Alaskans today.

"The signal came through perfectly, and right on time," said Vance Martin, President of Wild, and organizer of the 8th World Wilderness Conference. "AT&T Alascom went out of their way to provide us with expert technological support. The service was professional, timely and productive."

Perhaps the most interesting was a link between Anchorage and Iraq - which AT&T Alascom provisioned with less than 24 hours notice. The video teleconferencing service enabled the city of Anchorage to present a local solider now serving in Iraq with the Mayor's Certificate of Appreciation - in a long-distance ceremony.

"AT&T Alascom helped us with an incredible first during an Anchorage Assembly meeting," Mayor Mark Begich said. "We were able to bring the soldier face-to-face with his wife whom he hadn't seen in several months. It was a moving event for everybody in the room, made even more impressive by the seamless, professional way it was put together so quickly."

Video teleconferencing technology places a huge demand on bandwidth to ensure the smooth flow of voice and video transmissions. The AT&T Alascom network was built to accommodate the demands of videoconferencing without congestion - thereby improving the quality, speed and reliability of AT&T Alascom service.

AT&T Alascom provides service to every corner of Alaska through a comprehensive global network. Their integrated business and residential solutions include long distance, local, data, video, and Internet service.

On the Web:

AT&T Alascom
www.attalascom.com

 

SitNews
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska