The Virtual Exhibition, a multimedia joint project of Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has chosen Tiscali World Online to provide Internet connectivity for its Webcast on the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
Visitors to www.virtualexhibit.net can view the proceedings of the Johannesburg Summit, which runs from 26 August to 4 September, in real-time, via a Webcast that is tailor-made to suit individual computers and their technical specifications. Tiscali World Online is providing a 512kb Internet connection for the Virtual Exhibition - from within the Sandton Convention Centre - so that Web visitors around the world can see webcast programmes live from the exhibition.
"The Virtual Exhibition makes the Johannesburg Summit the first truly interactive world summit, providing an opportunity for people all over the world to participate," says Nitin Desai, secretary general of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
"It`s all about making the summit accessible and open, and bringing the world to Johannesburg. We want to make the 60 000 summit delegates aware that there are people in the field doing innovative things in the pursuit of sustainable development and give those people a chance to participate in the summit process."
The Virtual Exhibition, sponsored by companies including Shell, BP, Nestle, Rio Tinto, Unilever, and BT Group, is being produced by Simplywebcast, a UK-based Webcasting provider to international organisations. The company will set up a glass cube at Sandton Convention Centre during the WSSD to showcase the work of partner projects for sustainable development. Content will be brought in from around the world and sent out to communicate information, programme updates and other news. The output will be seen on the Web and on screens set up at the convention centre and other summit venues.
"The Virtual Exhibition is a ground-breaking multimedia showcase that will bring summit proceedings to a global audience via the Internet, and also display a multitude of sustainable development projects being pursued around the world," says Benet Northcote, head of operations for Simplywebcast. "We chose Tiscali World Online to provide bandwidth for the Virtual Exhibition because we needed a South African supplier which understood the demands of this high-profile project. The company`s size and international presence made it the natural choice, as it can meet Virtual Exhibition`s connectivity requirements and provide dedicated Internet access and guaranteed transmission speeds."
Simplywebcast came to the local ISP through Tiscali International`s UK office. Candice Gibson, marketing manager - Business Services at Tiscali World Online, says the company has welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the WSSD by facilitating communication flow into and out of the event.
"The Johannesburg Summit will bring together tens of thousands of participants to focus the world`s attention on improving people`s lives without harming the environment. By making our services available to The Virtual Exhibition, Tiscali World Online is doing its share to ensure that the global community is able to participate in and contribute to this event."
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Tiscali World Online is a premier communications company offering Internet and cellular services to home, business and corporate users. In addition, the company operates a popular portal with over two million visitors every month.
Tiscali World Online is differentiated from other market players by its operational style and solution sets which ensure customer-focused solutions through unique, value-added offerings. These include voice and data connectivity, e-commerce solutions, VPNs, server and application hosting, e-mail solutions, Web site development and hosting, portal advertising and security applications.
Tiscali World Online is a wholly owned subsidiary of leading European Internet service provider (ISP), Milan Stock Exchange-listed Tiscali International. Tiscali International has the largest geographical footprint of any European ISP with local operations in 15 countries and 7.3 million active users. It provides Internet access and a wide variety of content, applications and services to its customers.
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