Nasdaq-listed Polycom Inc, engaged in providing unified collaborative communications, opened a state-of-the-art product and solutions development centre in Hyderabad with an investment of $5 million to be invested by early next year. The facility will house development programs for company’s portfolio of voice communications solutions for mobile, desktop and conferencing applications.
Claimed to be world leader in video conferencing, and provider in voice conferencing solutions and voice-over internet protocol (VOIP) endpoints, the company spends about 12-14% of its revenues in R&D and currently employs about 70 people in this facility which is expected to be scaled up to 100 by 2008.
Addressing the media after inaugurating the facility, Sunil Bhalla, senior vice-president, said that unified collaborative communications market is expected to grow from the present $4 billion to $7.5 billion in 2010. Integrated solution such as high definition voice, video and content are expected to increase productivity, he said. “While the India centre is the fourth centre apart from US, Israel and China centres, the Hyderabad facility would specifically focus on internet protocol and VOIP end point,” he added.
Besides, the company is planning to set up six more sales and marketing offices by next year to offer its customers video conferencing services. In fact, Reliance Industries Group is one of Polycom’s first strategic customers for this technology for its 150-odd Webworld’s network locations.
On the growth catalyst for the company, he said that the next big opportunity in IP network is video and VoIP is the number driver in the unified collaborative communications market. The company is expecting 50% growth in the country through this segment and about 25% growth worldover. Besides, it is also upbeat on the growing SMB segment for these solutions.
