Videoconferencing: will it ever take off?

In those quaint old days of the 'jet age', technology pundits promised that we would soon see a videophone on every desk and in every home. The same prediction has been made periodically since then - but somehow it never seems to happen.

Videoconferencing does have its proponents. BT, Regus, HQ and others run successful pay-as-you-use services for international business meetings, conferences, recruitment interviewing and similar purposes. Sony, PictureTel and others continue to develop new products, ranging from massive full-room systems right down to television-top plug-ins. Even the DTI joined the move last year, putting systems into many of its local offices.

The business community still fails to take the technology to its heart, however - even though system performance is far better than many people imagine.

Market researchers The Yankee Group say it's only a matter of time. As internet technology expands and is taken up by more and more companies, the necessary bandwidth will be brought into easy access. That could be the spur videoconferencing seems to be waiting for. As in every other case, any system that enhances communication without adding undue complexity is likely to be grasped quickly.

Elliott Chase