Global Video and Voice Over IP Network

ViDeNet is an international virtual network providing video teleconferencing, telephone and collaboration services over the Internet, Internet2 and related advanced networks. Now you can begin to offer innovative new communication services, increase your project teams’ communication and dramatically cut telecommunications costs to your organization. And ViDeNet is an open forum, like the Internet itself, so there are no costs or barriers to participation.

ViDeNet was formed by ViDe, the Video Development Initiative, to be a testbed and model network in which to develop and promote ViDe's goals for highly scalable and robust networked video technologies. It is quickly evolving into a global virtual network interconnecting advanced voice and video networks around the world. ViDeNet serves as a forum for discussion and an experimental testbed for ideas related to improving the state of inter-networked video and voice over IP architectures.

From a technical perspective, ViDeNet is a mesh of interconnected H.323 zones. Each zone represents a collection of users at each site that are administered by the site itself. Thus, ViDeNet provides a mechanism by which individual campuses and network providers can interconnect themselves, creating a seamless global environment for teleconferencing and collaboration. ViDeNet’s underlying technology moves forward as the state of the art of voice/video communications develops, incorporating technologies such as, QOS and policy-based networking.

Goals of ViDeNet

Dramatic Cost Savings

It’s no secret that the key to today’s information economy is an organization’s data network and the Internet that connects it to the world. But while companies are investing heavily in the internal infrastructure and personnel to support this asset, they still are dragging along huge costs for telephone services – costs which are lost forever to the telephone company. ViDeNet provides a way to eliminate this redundant network and lost revenue by carrying telephone services over the data network. Savings are realized not just on long distance calls, but also on ‘local’ services where most of the costs are hidden.

Increased Collaboration, Communication and Organizational Effectiveness

People everyday are using ViDeNet to manage projects, teach students, troubleshoot problems, provide medical services, and talk with friends and coworkers around the world. All of these activities happen better, faster and with increased effectiveness when the people involved are in regular contact. And communicating with video brings added warmth to human interactions - people feel more in touch when they can see each other with facial expressions and gestures.

Innovation in Communication Services

The telephone hasn’t changed much in the last 100 years, but computers sure have! Communication via the Internet offers possibilities for interaction just not possible until now. Imagine reading a medical record, clicking on a section of particular interest, and the person responsible for that entry automatically appears on your screen so you can ask follow-up questions! This kind of development is possible under the open ViDeNet architecture. By moving service platforms off of the telephone network and onto the IP network, ViDeNet creates an environment in which innovation is fostered at the same rate as the Internet and the Web.

A Single Voice and Video Network for Earth

What if you tried to call your friend who lives down the street, but couldn’t connect to her because she used a different telephone company? Not very useful! ViDeNet provides a way for all h.323 voice/video networks to connect themselves together, so anyone can talk to anyone else! How else should it be?

Participation

Standardized Dial Plan

ViDeNet provides a standardized plan for naming telephones, videoconferencing stations and zones on the network. This naming scheme includes both telephone-like numbers and email-like friendly aliases. Users on the old telephone network dial your unique telephone number and never need to know you are actually on the Internet. Users at computer terminals can dial you using a friendly name like John_Doe@jupiter.edu.

Tools For Getting Connected

ViDeNet provides tools for directory and registration services. It also provides tools that allow network administrators to keep in touch with one another and to stay abreast of changes on the network.

Forum for the development of h.323 technology

One of the key elements of ViDeNet is that it provides a forum in which network administrators can work together directly with researchers and developers to improve the way the network works. This has already resulted in efforts leading to improved security, ease of use, account management, billing and advanced functionality.

ViDeNet allows you to migrate services over to the IP network where costs are invested rather than lost, and innovation allows users on a variety of different telephone, desktop and conference room platforms to communicate together, without losing access to legacy telephone and cellular telephone systems.