BT Delivers Virtual Fitting Rooms to Tommy Hilfiger

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Leading premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger, one of the largest designer apparel brands globally, has signed a five-year managed services contract with BT. Under the terms of the agreement, BT will provide a videoconferencing solution which includes the industry's first 'virtual fitting rooms', which the company jointly developed with TANDBERG, now part of the newly formed Cisco TelePresence Technology Group. These rooms enable immediate global "in-person" communication and collaboration among Tommy Hilfiger's designers and manufacturing facilities. The solution connects offices in Amsterdam, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, with potentially more units to follow.

The virtual fittings rooms - based upon BT's Unified Communications Video solution coupled with Cisco's TANDBERG technology - include add-ons such as mobile cameras and recording facilities to enable the design team – based in Amsterdam and New York – to collaborate faster and more effectively with the manufacturing team in Hong Kong. Teams will be able to discuss the development of every single piece of the collection face-to-face without having to take long-distance flights.

"We were impressed by BT's knowledge and experience in the videoconferencing area. This, combined with the creative, innovative solution which the BT-Cisco team offered, made the decision easy," said Fred Gehring, CEO Tommy Hilfiger Group. "The solution will bring us an immersive virtual meeting experience and save both time and money. Teams will be able to interact and collaborate as if they were in the same room, making us much more agile and competitive. We look forward to better and more regular communication between our entities across the globe."

Bas Burger, CEO BT Benelux, added: "This solution will also significantly lower carbon emissions. It is a good example of where sustainability and cost-savings go hand-in-hand. We at BT understand that sustainability is not an altruistic activity. To sustain the business, investments need to show return."

"Tommy Hilfiger has always been a trend setter, now further illustrated by their innovative approach to virtual design and collaboration," said Fredrik Halvorsen, senior vice president, TelePresence Technology Group, Cisco. "Like many other leading companies, Tommy Hilfiger has recognized that high quality telepresence can make their processes faster and more effective, delivering a distinct competitive advantage."

The contract includes two TANDBERG Telepresence T3 systems (Amsterdam and New York), one Telepresence T1 system in Tokyo, three customized 'virtual fitting rooms' (based on the Telepresence T1) in Amsterdam, New York and Hong Kong, desktop units, supporting infrastructure (such as recording facilities) and software.

Tommy Hilfiger will also receive BT's One Source for TANDBERG, a complete and ubiquitous managed services wrap which includes 24/7 helpdesk support, automated call scheduling and call launching, on-site maintenance, pro-active system monitoring and remote diagnostics. This reliable and easy to use service provides users and administrators alike with a single point of contact for all their support needs.

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2009, BT Group's revenue was pounds Sterling 21,390 million.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt

To access the BT Media Image Library, visit http://imagelibrary.btplc.com.

About BT Conferencing

BT Conferencing is a leading global provider of audio, video and web collaboration services. We are the foremost player in the UK's growing conferencing services market and the leading supplier of video conferencing services worldwide. Our partnerships with top technology companies and equipment vendors ensure we always have the best and latest solutions to offer our customers.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco, (Nasdaq: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate, this year celebrates 25 years of technology innovation, operational excellence and corporate social responsibility. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

About the Tommy Hilfiger Group

With a premium lifestyle brand portfolio that includes Tommy Hilfiger and Hilfiger Denim, the Tommy Hilfiger Group of Companies is one of the world's most recognized designer apparel groups. The Group's focus is designing and marketing high-quality menswear, womenswear, children's apparel and denim collections. Through select licensees, the Group offers complementary lifestyle products such as accessories, fragrances and home furnishings. Tommy Hilfiger Group merchandise is available to consumers worldwide through an extensive network of dedicated retail stores, leading specialty and department stores and other carefully controlled distribution channels. For additional information about the Tommy Hilfiger Group of Companies, please visit www.tommy.com.

SOURCE BT

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