MCI adds Yahoo webcasting to video platform

Seeking to turn its video conferencing service into a ready-made web-broadcasting platform, the newly renamed MCI announced it has partnered with Yahoo for video streaming services.

The carrier, which last week took the name of its consumer long-distance subsidiary, is allowing ISDN and IP video conferencing customers to tap into Yahoo Broadcast Solutions’ to stream and store large-scale meetings and events using video conferencing equipment. Yahoo is linking its streaming encoders directly to MCI’s conference bridges, allowing customers the option of sending a video conferencing session over the public Internet, which clients can view through standard media players. The service not only permits MCI’s customers to include people in video meetings who aren’t hooked into the video conferencing network, but also allows customers to use their endpoint equipment to create an ad hoc streaming service. Customers can use it to broadcast video messages to employees, shareholders, customers or any other group, said Jay Saur, manager of conferencing services.

While the service won’t be able to compete with high-end dedicated IP broadcast services, Saur said, it will open up a wealth of streaming options to its video conferencing customers. MCI also plans to work with Yahoo to add more interactive features such as slide presentations, Q&As, polls and the ability for streaming customers to participate in the conference through text.