Ever wish you could let friends and family back home see the sights of your vacation while you're enjoying them? Or show a potential purchase to your spouse — while she's at home and you're at the store? Or how about sharing baby's first steps with grandma — even though she lives across the country?
With
AT&T Video Share, all of this is possible. AT&T has announced the nationwide launch of AT&T Video Share in nearly 160 markets. Video Share is the first-ever service in the U.S. that enables users to share live video over their wireless phones while on a voice call.
"AT&T Video Share will be groundbreaking in the way life events are captured and shared," said David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T's wireless unit. "For consumers, the service offers a new, easily attainable, level of connectivity. With the streaming video, users can 'see what I see, when I see it.' It's a dramatic new way to share personal moments and events beyond the capabilities of voice and text."
AT&T Video Share enables one-way live streaming-video feeds that can be seen by both parties while they are participating in a two-way voice conversation. Once the parties have initiated a Video Share call, either one can be the one generating the video stream for the other to see.
"Video Share is another demonstration of AT&T's advanced network and commitment to meaningful innovation that improves our customers' communications," Christopher said.
Video Share works exclusively over the AT&T 3G wireless network and is the first AT&T application to use the company's emerging Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem platform. This new platform will be used to deliver a range of new Internet Protocol (IP)-based services and applications and will increasingly enable AT&T customers to seamlessly access services and content over both wireless and wireline network connections.
Ultimately, services such as Video Share will be accessible over any of the three primary screens that customers use most frequently — the wireless device, the PC and the television. AT&T Labs researchers today are perfecting service enhancements that eventually will enable wireless video feeds to be shared over IPTV or PC screens.
To use the service, a Video Share-capable handset is required. Two Video Share service packages will be available for $4.99 a month for 25 minutes of Video Share usage or $9.99 a month for 60 minutes of usage. Users also may choose to pay as they go and pay 35 cents a minute each time they use the service. Video Share minutes are charged only to the sender. (See AT&T Video Share fact sheet for additional details on specific market availability, compatible handsets and service package details.)
AT&T research has shown strong customer interest in Video Share for a range of uses, including:
- Sharing. Consumers can share moments with family and friends as the moments happen.
- Providing a Sense of "Being There." Consumers or business contacts can be in one place while seeing and hearing what is happening in another.
- Getting/Giving Advice. Consumers or business contacts can seek advice by sharing video and audio, as the need arises.
Customers can now purchase Video Share at AT&T retail stores and through select national retailers. To view an interactive demonstration or find out more information, customers can go to
www.attvideoshare.com.