We all know the feeling of a one-dimensional audio conference, don’t we? You talk into a uniform black void that’s home to disembodied voices. Everyone saves on travel time and cost, to be sure, but the quality of the interaction and the level of engagement isn’t always what it could be.

Well, not until today. BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice makes the leap into three dimensions. Imagine an uncanny stereophonic mind picture of where everyone’s sitting in the virtual room. With intelligent crystal-clear audio compensating for varying volumes and connection qualities. Natural conversation mimicked by letting people talk over each other. And accented speech made miles easier to understand.

BT delivers the definitive in-person audio conferencing experience.

Case study - BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice.

The Dolby Voice effect is incredible. It’s taken audio conferencing onto another plane entirely. Believe me, once you’ve tried it you won’t want to go back..

David Stark, Vice President, Global Conferencing Portfolio, BT

The audio conferencing experience comes closer to natural conversation than anyone thought possible.

Case Study - BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice.

Innovation appears around the corner.One of the first virtual collaboration services to hit the market, BT MeetMe audio conferencing revolutionised the way people met and talked to each other.

David Stark, vice president, global conferencing portfolio, BT, says: “With BT MeetMe customers get the winning double – caring for the environment while adding to the bottom line. However, today technology doesn’t stand still. The next idea’s always just around the corner.”

Conferencing innovation came through a partnership between BT and Dolby Laboratories, the global leader in audio media technology. David continues: “We realised that continued growth in the market would depend on transforming the customer experience.”

The technology was already highly sophisticated. The partners saw that the next advance would revolve around working on the human nature of the conversation: BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice was born.

Uncanny separation places people in cyber-space.Using the power of IP-based communications, Dolby Voice carries call intelligence with it wherever it goes. That enables really amazing effects like adding separation – a spatial element – to people’s speech. With their voices coming from different directions, participants now seem to be sitting around a table in cyber-space.

A traditional audio conference’s flatness has gone; BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice has the vibrancy of a physical meeting.

As principal bid manager for BT in Italy, Sergio Scaglia brings that to life: “BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice makes meetings more natural. It’s uncanny, with people’s voices seeming to come from different places. You get the same amazing effect whether you’re at your desk, on a laptop, using a smartphone, or even in a meeting room using the Dolby® Conference Phone.”

Conversations become clear as a bell as barriers evaporate.Dolby Voice compensates for variations in audio volume and connection quality by automatically adjusting sound levels and suppressing background noise. David Stark says: “One can be on a bustling platform at Kings Cross station or in the middle of a noisy industry convention and the other people on the call simply won’t know.” Each participant therefore comes through in as close to high-fidelity as possible.

The technology also identifies when people are trying to join the debate, and even integrates the speech flow to let them talk at the same time. That makes the experience much more like a normal human conversation.

Nelia Wallace-Hargrove runs the customer reference programme for BT’s global services division. Used to talking to people right around the world, she says: “Varying call quality, especially from developing countries, could make accents hard to understand. The intelligence built into BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice means people come through as clear as a bell. It’s making my job a whole lot easier.”

It’s uncanny, with people’s voices seeming to come from different places. You get the same amazing effect whether you’re at your desk, on a laptop, or even using a smartphone.

Sergio ScagliaPrincipal Bid ManagerBT Italy

Varying call quality, especially from developing countries, could make accents hard to understand. The intelligence built into BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice means people come through as clear as a bell.

Nelia Wallace-HargroveManager, Customer Reference ProgrammeBT

Case Study - BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice.

There are no visible moving parts.Launched in October 2013, the early rollout of BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice was understandably aimed at eager external BT customers. Conference-intensive sectors like financial services were at the front of the queue – with clamour from household banking names – while smaller firms like a US-based software company have joined the party too.

With pent-up demand satisfied, the product was made available to BT internal users a year later. Around 15,000 are now taking advantage of the service. Most have soft clients on fixed and mobile devices, while some fifty Dolby® Conferencing Phones are also in use.

They’re finding it’s not just the innovative voice features that make the difference. People’s names can be seen on screen, making the conference easier to manage, like tracking who’s dropped off or who’s joined without fuss. Muting and unmuting of participants’ lines takes a single click.

Anyone with a corporate wide area network or public internet connection gets the full BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice feature set with secure, encrypted voice. That also reduces costs by keeping conference calls free of carrier tolls. Meanwhile the system can naturally accommodate traditional fixed or mobile lines where necessary.

David Stark concludes: “Using BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice means the technology simply disappears. There are no visible moving parts. There’s a palpable ‘wow’ reaction when people are introduced to it.”

Offices worldwideThe telecommunications services described in this publication are subject to availability and may be modified from time to time. Services and equipment are provided subject to British Telecommunications plc’s respective standard conditions of contract. Nothing in this publication forms any part of any contract. © British Telecommunications plc 2015. Registered office: 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ. Registered in England No: 1800000

March 2016

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Core services.• BT One Collaborate MeetMe with Dolby Voice