Avaya to Provide a Unified Communications Solution for NBC Universal During the Beijing Olympic Games
IP Telephony Infrastructure Enables NBC With Superior Communications During the Beijing Olympics August 8-24
BEIJING and BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - August 12, 2008) - Avaya has been selected to
provide a unified communications solution to NBC Universal in support of
the network's coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games from Beijing,
China August 8-24. The announcement was made today by Bob Kiraly,
director, Broadcast and Telecommunications Operations, NBC Olympics.
NBC Olympics operates under a unique set of IT circumstances: every two
years the organization needs a complete, business communications network
set up in a new location that is in use for little more than a month.
Demands for high-availability, resiliency and cutting edge technology are
weighed against cost, since once the Games are over the equipment goes into
storage.
"Working with Avaya, we have our communications requirements and
implementation down to a science," said Bob Kiraly. "We don't have time for
complicated installations and we have zero tolerance for risk. What we do
need are powerful, reliable communications that help manage costs and
enable the NBC Olympics team to do their jobs most efficiently. Avaya
understands that completely."
NBC Olympics took its first leap to IP Telephony with Avaya Communication
Manager running on a server -- gateway architecture between the
International Broadcast Center and NBC's Field Shop for the 2004 Olympic
Games. This step produced immediate benefits -- including better, more
consistent features for everyone on the network and an easier, faster
implementation. Running its own communications network locally and using IP
Trunking between Athens and its U.S. headquarters help cut operating costs.
At the same time, integrating existing analog and digital phones allowed
NBC Olympics control over the pace and price of implementing new
technology. For peace of mind, however, the company elected to run
communications and data along separate, parallel paths.
This year, IP Telephony hits full stride for NBC Olympics with Avaya
Gigabit Ethernet phones landing on more than 500 desks accompanied by
another 200 value sets elsewhere in the network. The power over Ethernet
phones provide NBC Olympics with the highest quality audio and the lowest
power consumption of any similar business class telephones on the market
today.
Avaya Communication Manager helps NBC Olympics move forward with unified
communications applications. The company is already enabling greater
mobility by allowing calls made to an employee's extension also ring their
cellular phone. Now, the new Gigabit Ethernet phones also make it even
easier for the team to switch active calls between the desk phone and
cellular device: Employees who need to change locations while a call is in
progress can simply hit a button on the phone to switch the call from the
desktop extension to their cellular device and vice versa. These phones
can also enable one employee to see the availability of others in his or
her workgroup for live calls by displaying names and telephony presence on
the back-lit screen.
About NBC Olympics
NBC, "America's Olympic Network," owns the exclusive U.S. media rights to
the Olympic Games, television's most powerful property, through 2012, which
includes Beijing in 2008, Vancouver in 2010 and London in 2012. From August
8-24, 2008 NBC Universal will present an unprecedented 3,600 hours of
coverage, highlighted by NBC in primetime with live swimming, gymnastics
and beach volleyball. In August 2004, 203 million viewers watched as the
networks of NBC Universal -- NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, and
NBC's HD affiliates -- offered a then record 1,210 hours of Olympic
coverage from Athens. For additional information, go to NBCOlympics.com.
Merging news, results and schedules with extensive video coverage and an
unmatched depth of unique story telling content, NBCOlympics.com will be
the Olympic fan's hub for every aspect of the 2008 Beijing Games experience
-- from the most comprehensive TV schedules to learning how to connect to
mobile, gaming, VOD and other digital destinations. NBCOlympics.com will
provide approximately 2,200 hours of live event competition where users can
choose from up to 20 concurrent streams encompassing 25 Olympic sports. In
addition, the site will offer more than 3,000 hours of on-demand access to
full-event replays and extensive highlights, including daily recaps of key
events, best-of montages, commentator analysis and athlete-specific clips.
About Avaya
Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions
that help companies transform their businesses to achieve marketplace
advantage. More than one million businesses worldwide, including more than
90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®, use Avaya solutions for IP telephony, unified communications,
contact centers and
communications-enabled business processes. Avaya
Global Services provide comprehensive service and support for
companies, small to large. For more information, visit the Avaya Web site
at http://www.avaya.com.
Contact Information: Contact:
Deb Kline
Avaya Media Relations
908-953-6179
klined@avaya.com