BT and Dolby deliver stunning audio quality to maximise the effectiveness of meetings on Cisco Webex and Microsoft Lync

BT and Dolby Laboratories today announced expanded availability of the BT MeetMe™ with Dolby® Voice™ service and of the innovative Dolby Conference Phone as well as the integration of the service with Cisco® WebEx® and Microsoft® Lync®. BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice combines Dolby’s nearly 50 years of audio expertise with BT’s world-class communications capabilities to deliver exceptionally clear, natural and productive meetings.

BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice transforms conference calls by delivering an in-person experience. The users get stunning audio quality, free from background noise. They also hear each person from a distinct virtual location so it is easy to identify who is speaking and to hear everyone on the call — even those with soft voices. Conversation flows more naturally and everyone can contribute better.

BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice also offers significant cost savings over traditional audio conferencing services. Because users can join conference calls over data networks, the service helps lower transport and access fees.

BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice can be accessed anywhere — via the desktop, mobile devices and in meeting rooms using the Dolby Conference Phone. Packed with innovation, it is the only phone that extends the complete Dolby Voice experience and productivity to meeting rooms. It provides outstanding audio clarity and the ability to not only pick up all the voices in the room but also to separate and clearly present them to remote participants. In addition to being an endpoint for BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice service, the phone can be used for traditional IP telephony calls. The Dolby Conference Phone is now available worldwide.

“The Dolby Conference Phone revolutionizes the way people communicate and collaborate,” said Andrew Border, vice president and general manager, Communications Business Group, Dolby Laboratories. “Because everyone hears clearly and feels like they are in the same room, participation increases and calls are more effective.”

Carlos Zamora, global vice president, BT Conferencing, said: “Audio quality has a tremendous effect on the productivity of meetings. With BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice now integrated with BT One Collaborate for Cisco WebEx and BT One for Microsoft Lync, end users will gain substantial new benefits from the industry’s most popular collaboration platforms. We are proud to announce today that customers across Asia-Pacific and Africa are also now able to enjoy the full benefits of this great technology.”

The integration of the service with BT One Collaborate for Cisco WebEx lets users enjoy the full WebEx functionality while benefitting from the clearer, more natural and effective BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice experience. BT One Collaborate users can now initiate and manage BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice audio conferences directly from the WebEx interface. This can be done from a traditional PSTN environment or from an IP connection.

The integration with BT One for Microsoft Lync provides the flexibility for participants to join their Lync meetings from the Lync client or from a BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice client and the Dolby Conference Phone. Users benefit from the in-person audio experience of BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice and from simple access for internal and external meeting participants. All Lync features are available to users who join from the Lync client.

Case study - WANdisco
BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice is already boosting productivity, enhancing collaboration and improving operations for companies like WANdisco, which is using the service and the Dolby Conference Phone to connect workers across several worldwide offices. WANdisco is a leading provider of continuous-availability software for global enterprises to meet the challenges of Big Data (www.wandisco.com/about).

“We recently deployed BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice and the Dolby Conference Phone across several of our worldwide offices. The experience has been excellent" said WANdisco CEO David Richards. “The clarity and quality of the audio makes a huge difference in our ability to work together. As a result we have moved our senior management meetings, which include attendees from the UK, US, and Australia, to BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice. The combination of the service and the phone really makes it feel like everyone is in the same room. You forget you are on a conference call. We plan to expand our use of the service and deploy the phone in more rooms in the coming months.”

BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice and the Dolby® Conference Phone are available in Asia, Australia, Africa, throughout Europe and the United States. Using IP connectivity, the service is more cost effective than traditional conferencing services.

Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK dial +44 20 7356 5369. E-mail: newsroom@bt.com.
At Dolby, please contact Sean Durkin on +1 415 645 5176 or sean.durkin@dolby.com.

About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) creates audio, video, and voice technologies that transform entertainment and communications in mobile devices, at the cinema, at home, and at work. For nearly 50 years, sight and sound experiences have become more vibrant, clear, and powerful in Dolby®. For more information, please visit www.dolby.com.

Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. © 2014 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.