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Video-conferencing replacing costly board meetings
Mr Dominic Saint Jean, the former CEO, Telkom Kenya, talks to participants through video conferencing when the company launched the business service solution. The technology can cut costs associated with physical meetings. Photo/FREDRICK ONYANGO
Many companies would be forced to wait for a physical face-to-face interaction with the head offices for decisions to be made, sometimes affecting the competitiveness of the various subsidiaries if quick response is needed.
But some suppliers are now offering video conferencing facilities so that individual companies do not have to invest in the equipment.
Kenya Development Learning Centre (KDLC) offers outsourced conferencing facilities for between Sh14,800 to Sh37,000 an hour. The charges depend on the time.
It costs more to conduct meetings or training between 8.30 pm and 6 am.
But due to the time difference in various countries, the different packages come in handy.
Mr Njambi Muchane, director KDLC, said local companies are yet to fully embrace the technology leaving the multinationals to enjoy the benefits.
Hotels also offer this technology, which has been a key business conference requirement.
But a partnership struck two months ago between UUNET, a local internet service provider, with electronics manufacturer Sony to provide video conferencing facilities in Kenya may change this scenario.
“The question now is what to do with all the bandwidth, how to utilise it in business and save costs,” said Mr Joseph Mwaura, UUNET country sales manager.
However, many Kenyans are also making use of Skype, a software that enables uses to make video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other 370 million globally registered Skype users.
The beauty of Skype is that is a free service, but access to a broadband internet is still connection is required.
Most savvy business people and entrepreneurs have their Skype address in their email signatures.
Mobile handsets technology is also catching up with value added communication services.
It is possible to skype on some smart phones such as Iphone, Nokia’s N and E series and Sony Ericsson among other phones.
In order to use the service one much download the software on their mobile phone or laptop.
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