The conference call is a common component of the average communication stack in many modern businesses. If you need to get in touch with a group of people fast, and an in-office meeting isn\u2019t appropriate, it\u2019s incredibly simple to get everyone dialled into a shared virtual conference room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The arrival of new technology even means that many companies are beginning to discover the advantages of \u00a0video conference calls<\/a> for the first time. Simpler connections and user-friendly tools<\/a> have made the provisioning of video conferencing technology easier than ever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, the conference call hasn\u2019t always been the immersive solution that we have today. When we explore the evolution of this technology over the years, it\u2019s easy to see just how significant the transformation has been.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\t Get the complete video and audio conferencing solution included with RingCentral Office<\/p>\r\n\t\t\tStart a free trial<\/a>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n The earliest instance of a conference call happened in Bulgaria, with the Jordanphone, designed by Asen Yordanoff in 1945<\/a>. The wireless device could transmit voice on a standard phone to a loudspeaker so that various people could hear the person at the other end of the conversation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bell Labs then became the first company to work on the larger concept of telephone conferencing in 1956. In 1960, AT&T picked up on the idea and dabbled with teleconferencing<\/a>. With AT&T\u2019s creation, users were able to communicate through three phone lines managing audio and video. There was even a picture on a very small screen that appeared every two seconds. However, the device was bulky, expensive, and not very easy to adopt in the corporate world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The AT&T PicturePhone didn\u2019t give us a very good introduction to the possibilities of video conferencing. However, it did get people thinking about what video conferencing services could potentially do for the business world. Being able to see someone from the other side of the world on your phone was an exciting idea in the 1960s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It took a while for companies to find the innovation required to make video conferencing a more achievable reality, however. The idea of video communication didn\u2019t have a chance to go mainstream until the 1980s when systems began to be <\/span>introduced from Compression Labs<\/span><\/a>. These systems sold for about $250,000, meaning that they were only available to larger corporations. However, there was definitely a demand for video elsewhere. People were excited by the idea of being able to communicate with groups and individuals through voice and video at the same time. We wanted an evolution to the audio conference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n IBM dropped the price of their video systems to $20,000, and other companies began to experiment with the latest advancements in IP technology, video compression, and internet streaming. In 1992, Cornell University\u2019s IT department introduced the CU-SeeMe application \u2013 the first video conferencing application in the world at that point. At the same time, AT&T introduced their videophone for home use \u2013 the AT&T videophone 2500.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By 1993, the World Wide Web had entered the public domain, and PictureTel was introducing new products that converted the standard PC into videophones with camera technology. In 1994, the world\u2019s first webcam was born, offering <\/span>16 shades of grey for video transmission<\/span><\/a>. By 1995, PictureTel was able to conduct the world\u2019s largest multipoint global dial-up conference using video with more than 50 sites worldwide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By the late 90s, the drive to create better video conferencing experiences was more significant than ever. In 1996 alone, the BT Presence desktop phone was introduced \u2013 offering a unique 6-inch colour touchscreen with seven frames per second. At the same time, Panasonic was building the world\u2019s first cordless video phone, and Microsoft was building their \u201c<\/span>NetMeeting<\/span><\/a>\u201d service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As we moved into the new century, 2001 brought with it the arrival of \u201cOperation Lindbergh\u201d, the first telesurgery ever to be conducted through a video connection. By 2003, all major instant messaging clients, including AOL and Yahoo, came with video calling support. Skype even introduced video call solutions for up to 25 people at a time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Later in the 2000s, the quality of video conferencing began to evolve. Polycom introduced the first HD video conferencing system<\/a> in 2006, and in 2010, tools like Apple FaceTime became available, making video more of a mainstream concept for the masses. In less than 20 years, video went from being something only available to the largest brands, to something that everyone could access at the tap of a button on their smartphones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Companies worldwide were starting to recognise the benefits of video conferencing as a tool for immersive communication. We saw that video could build on the average conference call by giving us access to a much deeper connection. An online video conference could eliminate the need for world-wide travel and help teams around the world work together, wherever they were. The world\u2019s highest-ever video call was made on <\/span>Mount Everest in 2013<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\t Call management, conferencing, HD video meetings, and team messaging in one collaborative solution.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\tLearn more<\/a>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n As the years went on, companies invested more time and effort into the possibilities of video conferencing software, creating crystal-clear images and combining them with high-quality audio. Innovators discovered things like smart framing tools and intelligent focus to bring more depth into the images provided in each conference. <\/span>All the while, as the technology improved, it became more accessible too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Video calling today is no longer reserved just for those with the best budgets or the strongest tech team. <\/span>Businesses of all sizes now have the chance to host a video conference call anywhere, using HD images and enterprise-quality voice. <\/span><\/p>\n In a world brimming with trends like globalisation and dispersed workforces, video conferencing is more valuable today than it has ever been. Through video-conferencing equipment, remote and mobile workers can stay connected to their peers wherever they are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the same time, video conferencing solutions<\/a> can expand into the customer service environment too. The advantages of video conferencing can include everything from better customer experiences, to faster response times. It\u2019s no wonder that the <\/span>market for video conferencing<\/span><\/a> is set to reach $6.7 billion by 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While there have clearly been many changes that contributed to the evolution of conference video calls and software over the years, three major innovations have been crucial to shaping the way that we communicate. These were:<\/span><\/p>\nTeam collaboration with RingCentral meetings and conferencing<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t
From Audio to Video: The Communication Revolution<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Rapid Development of Video Conferencing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"the-rapid-development-of-video-conferencing\"](\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/The-Rapid-Development-of-Video-Conferencing.png\")
<\/p>\nFind out more about RingCentral solutions<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t
Major Innovations That Transformed the Conference Call<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"conference-call-innovations\"](\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Major-Innovations-That-Transformed-the-Conference-Call.png\")
<\/p>\n1. Central Exchange<\/strong><\/h3>\n