Above: Darryl Duke and Jeunesse Walters-Wilson at Wednesday’s launch of TSTT’s VCaaS product.
Originally published in Newsday BusinessDay for September 23, 2021
bMobile Business announced availability of video conferencing as a service (VCaaS) yesterday for what it said was a new level of reliable online communication.
According to Jeunesse Walters-Wilson, Manager, Government Sales, TSTT introduced enterprise level videoconferencing ten years ago powered by Qualcomm hardware, but at the time, cost was a factor, and she noted, “Businesses saw it as a luxury.”
Clearly that is no longer the case, and the new VCaaS system is meant to simplify hardware requirements for connections, gathering a crateload of networking and computing hardware and replacing it with the IdeaHub videoconferencing system and Huawei’s cloud based meeting systems.
The IdeaHub device was previously introduced as part of a national gift of ten devices to the Ministry of Education which were installed at ten schools around the country.
The device is a large 4k high resolution screen, available in either 86 inch or 65 inch models. The screen service is touch sensitive and can be used as a fully interactive smartboard.
It’s possible to screencast using the built-in IdeaShare software,
The IdeaHub is also a Windows PC running on either an i5 or i7 processor and is managed in that mode for security and upgrades like any equivalent device.
It’s possible to load it with any existing communications software, including Teams and Zoom, but Huawei offers its own Cloud Meeting platform for use with the system.
Pricing is at corporate and enterprise levels and what Walters-Wilson described as a low monthly fee begins at a starting point of $3999 monthly for the device and the managed service that supports it.
For that price, Walters-Wilson explained, bMobile will deliver all the networking, install it, and for the term of the contract, will fully manage the system including any required hardware or software upgrades.
Part of the package is a dedicated 5MB broadband connection, which TSTT says will support up to 100 users in high definition.
Darryl Duke, TSTT’s acting GM for Enterprise Service, customers can list the cost as a recurring expense.
“We have bespoke systems, and customers can customise their purchases and how they can be planned as expenses,” Duke said.
At the low end, access to Huawei’s Cloud Meeting services only starts at $1,999 monthly.
At those price points, the service and device will target either companies who have made a serious commitment to remote work collaboration tools or who are looking to upgrade scattered systems to a unified model.
IdeaHub specifications
- Screens sized at either 86 or 65 inches on the diagonal, 4K resolution on Pro models
- Built in 2K camera and speakers.
- Built-in, blade-style Windows 10 PC with either an i5 or i7 processor, supporting screencasting and multiple video inputs
Schools that received IdeaHub systems from Huawei.
- Russell Latapy Secondary School
- Belmont Government Primary School
- Carenage Boys Government Primary School
- San Juan North Secondary School
- La Horquetta South Government Primary School;
- Bon Air Secondary School
- Guaico Government Primary School
- Chaguanas North Secondary School
- Fanny Village Government Primary School
- The National Centre for Persons with Disabilities in San Fernando.
