Internode installs Cisco TelePresence

in brief Internet service provider Internode has thrown down almost $500,000 on a multi-site installation of Cisco's TelePresence video-conferencing solution.

The ISP has 430 staff at its Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne offices. It has already linked up its Sydney and Adelaide offices with the new system, with Melbourne to come online later this year.

In a statement, Internode CEO Patrick Tapper said the main reason for purchasing the system was to make Internode's expertise more accessible nationally, as well as cutting travel costs. The ISP is using the system for internal meetings, as well as for communicating with business partners, vendors and customers.

Tapper praised the Cisco systems' quality. "The move from a video-conference call to TelePresence is like moving from dial-up to broadband," he said. Hewlett-Packard offers a similar system, dubbed Halo.