CISCO

 DURBAN, South Africa, 30 November 2011: The Government of South Africa and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, have appointed Cisco an official networking technology partner for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol, which will be held in Durban, South Africa from 28November to 9December 2011. Cisco® Collaboration solutions including Cisco TelePresence®, Cisco Unified Communication Suite and Cisco WebEx® meeting solutions will be deployed on-site during the conference.

Through onsite technical presence at COP17, Cisco will, together with its key partners, support the UNFCCC with all network operations. Cisco will also provide for virtual collaboration and participation capabilities with the installation of three immersive Cisco TelePresence rooms on-site for use throughout the conference duration. Furthermore, Cisco immersive TelePresence will be available in the UNFCCC digital media lounge at COP17, and Cisco video solutions as well as WebEx will be utilized in side event rooms, UN executive meeting rooms, UN executive offices on-site and the bloggers' lounge.

Connecting 119 Cisco TelePresence rooms and 36 Tata Communications Public TelePresence rooms, globally, via Tata Communications' TelePresence network, COP17 will cater for an unparalleled set of video-based virtual collaboration at any large event to date. Neotel and Tata Communications will provide the bandwidth and connectivity to their global eco-system of Public Rooms and Cisco private rooms. They will also provide management and monitoring of this network and scheduling portal from which participants will be able schedule meeting rooms at COP 17 with meeting rooms around the globe.

Highlights / Key Facts:

• From award-winning IP communications to mobility, customer care, Web conferencing, messaging, enterprise social software, and interoperable TelePresence experiences, Cisco brings together network-based, integrated collaboration solutions based on open standards. These solutions, as well as services from Cisco and its partners, are designed to help promote business growth, innovation and productivity. They are also designed to help accelerate team performance, protect investments, and simplify the process of finding the right people and information.
• Cisco TelePresence is designed to provide a virtual in-person meeting experiences for local and remote meeting participants, so COP17 delegates and government officials will be able to update off-site stakeholders in their home countries on the negotiations on the ground, conduct press briefings with journalists in their home countries and globally; consult with experts in their individual regions or around the world, and involve interested parties who are unable to travel to COP17 in discussions.
• Cisco TelePresence facilities will deliver a live, immersive, face-to-face experience via the Tata Communications network. Cisco TelePresence technology allows users to enjoy real-time communication and to collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners even if they are in a different city. Participants sit down at the conference table in one of the Cisco or Tata Communications TelePresence rooms and connect to the other participants with a simple call. Individuals automatically appear on the screen, irrespective of where in the world they may be sitting. The setup of the rooms allows participants to feel as if they are sitting in the same room, even though some participants may be thousands of miles away.
• COP17 delegates and participants will be able book meeting slots in the Cisco TelePresence rooms in advance, on an hourly or daily basis through an interactive 24-hour online booking system.