Regus, the leading global provider of innovative workspace solutions, has launched the world’s largest public access video communication (VC) network, said a statement.

The 2,500 VC suites, available through the Regus website, and made up from its own centres and partner facilities, have a footprint which covers 115 countries and 1,110 cities and suburban areas.

Regus customers in the UAE and other markets across the region can now avail the new video communication service.

The growth in Regus VC facilities offering is a response to increased demand for the solution amongst customers worldwide including the Middle East. For the 12 months ending December 2009, Regus experienced a global average increase of 22 per cent in VC bookings.

This supports a recent finding from research and advisory company Gartner that the value of the VC market is set to post a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.8 per cent between 2008 and 2013, rising from $3.8 billion to $8.6 billion.

Regus asserts this is because businesses are looking for smart ways to reduce travel, the associated environmental impacts, and crucially, cost without compromising business operations; video communicating rather than travelling can be up to 75 per cent cheaper with negligible carbon emissions.

“Business boundaries have been expanding for some time but as pressure mounts to curb travel spending, increase productivity and reduce environmental damage there’s the risk that international business relations could suffer,” said Mark Dixon, CEO, Regus.

“Whether the motivation is cost, productivity or the environment we’re allowing companies to stay connected and expand their international footprint.  With facilities in 1,100 locations, across the world, and 10 around the UAE alone, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain video communication through Regus means it can be business as usual,” he added.

Regus’ VC facilities can be booked with just three to seven days’ notice and nearly half of the bookings run across multiple time zones.

To cater for this relatively late booking profile Regus offers online, real time meeting room and VC equipment availability globally, meaning that units can be booked immediately from anywhere in the world. All guests need to do is enter their location details to find and book their nearest VC suite.

Regus has designed the service and network to unlock maximum savings for their customers.

This includes a broad spread of locations to optimise ease of access to VC services, a bridging provider to ensure best-in-class call quality and equipment that can seamlessly connect to any other complaint industry standards, according to the statement.

Regus offers products and services that allow individuals and companies to work however, wherever, and whenever they need to, while also supporting the growing trend of mobile and home working.

Beyond traditional VC facilities, Regus is also leading the roll-out of public access telepresence studios, which enable participants to experience life-size presence of colleagues in high-definition so that all parties feel like they are in the same room. – TradeArabia News Service