Canadian carriers complete trials of two-way wireless video calling

More news from Canadian carriers today, as Bell, Telus and Rogers have finished the trials for inter-network video calling.  Each of the ‘big three’ had their own video calling solutions, which allowed 2 way video between customers on the same carrier, which severely limited the functionality. This development suggests that at launch it “…will create North America’s largest two-way mobile video calling community…” at least according to the press release.

The new video calling tech makes use of the open 3G-324M Video Telephony standard, which should enable compatibility with international carriers as well when the service launches (still unannounced)

With all the in-fighting between carriers regarding who has the better network, it’s nice to see that they can hug it out, at least on this front. Maybe they have a bit of the Olympic spirit or something.  Either that, or by adding similar features and increasing interoperability, the incumbents are circling the wagons in the face of newcomers to the wireless space.  In any case, you can feel the love

Canadian carriers complete trials of two-way wireless video calling

Service will create largest video calling audience in North America

Toronto, ON – Canadian mobile phone users are one step closer to video calling friends, family, and clients across competing mobile networks as TELUS, Rogers and Bell today announced the successful completion of two-way mobile video calling trials between carriers. Video calling lets clients create a ‘see-what-I-can-see’ connection with other callers, enabling them to do things like share special moments or get advice on a birthday gift before they buy.

Mobile video calling is currently available through several carriers in Canada, but both callers must be on the same carrier’s network using compatible handsets. When inter-carrier mobile video calling is launched video calling will be possible across multiple carrier networks and will create North America’s largest two-way mobile video calling community.

“Mobile video calling is a richer communications experience for family, friends and business contacts,” said Ibrahim Gedeon, chief technology officer at TELUS. “This successful trial involving TELUS, Bell and Rogers is a milestone in the Canadian mobile community.”

“We are proud to be part of the first inter-carrier partnership in North America to enable clients to call each other using video capabilities,” said Stephen Howe, chief technology officer for Bell Mobility. “By breaking down the barriers between video calling clients in Canada, we anticipate strong demand for the service – as we saw with past inter-carrier initiatives such as text and picture messaging.”

“The trial uses inter-carrier mobile video calling to take video communications to the next level, creating a much larger video-calling community, and providing customers with greater flexibility and freedom in the way they communicate,” said Upinder Saini, vice president of new product development at Rogers Communications. “This is an exciting development for wireless users in Canada and marks a major milestone for video calling.”

Bell, Rogers and TELUS each offer video calling handsets that support the internationally accepted open 3G-324M Video Telephony standard, ensuring compatibility with other systems and carriers supporting the standard.