Verizon Staffs Its CES Booth With People Who Aren't There

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- From the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Verizon Wireless and VGo announced the demonstration of a state-of-the-art robotic telepresence with embedded 4G LTE connectivity in the Verizon booth (Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Booth #30259).  Direct from Verizon's LTE Innovation Center, a remote person's presence is replicated by a VGo in the booth, enabling complete freedom of movement and interactive conversations with attendees.

VGo is a productivity improvement solution that enables a person to replicate himself in a distant location and have the freedom to move around as if the person was physically there.  VGo's are being used today in enterprises where a person needs to manage remotely or participate in a project team.  Healthcare organizations are using VGo to monitor patients, leading to higher levels of care at lower costs.  Schools are saving money by enabling home/hospital-bound and special needs students to attend class with all their friends without the additional costs of tutors. 

With embedded Verizon 4G LTE connectivity, VGo's graceful form factor is preserved, while expanding the range of mobility by not requiring VGo to be close to Wi-Fi access points.  In addition, congestion issues are managed, and setup is extremely fast and easy. 

Peter N. Vicars, president and chief executive officer for VGo Communications said, "When you have a solution that is guided remotely, the wireless connectivity is unbelievably important – we don't work without it.  Using a wide-area, high-speed wireless network greatly expands the applications for VGo, and Verizon 4G LTE is the first service that meets the unique requirements of our real-time solution." 

Verizon Wireless leads the way in 4G with the largest 4G LTE network and most reliable 4G network in the United States, which now covers more than 200 million people in 190 markets.

Verizon established its Innovation Program to encourage collaboration and help advance the 4G LTE ecosystem.  The company's LTE Innovation Center in Waltham, Mass., and its Application Innovation Center in San Francisco were created to inspire, enable and develop non-traditional devices, services and applications that take advantage of Verizon Wireless' industry-leading wireless networks.  Through the Innovation Program, Verizon seeks to expand the possibilities of 4G LTE by working with diverse companies, from start-ups to established players, in industries representing a broad range of verticals.

VGo has been a featured participant in the Verizon's Innovation Program since the spring of 2011.  Development assistance was provided for the embedding of 4G LTE capabilities into the VGo, and introductions were provided to technology partners resulting in commercial relationships between VGo and Novatel for the supply of its E362 4G LTE modem and with Taoglas for its PA.700.A antenna.

For more information about Verizon at CES, visit www.verizonwireless.com/ces or follow Verizon Wireless news on Twitter at @VZWnews.  

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.    

About VGo

VGo Communications, Inc. develops and markets visual communications solutions for the workplace. By leveraging the recent trends of widespread wireless high speed networks, lower specialized component costs and the universal acceptance of video as a communications medium VGo is creating a new market category called "Robotic Telepresence."

With VGo, an individual's presence is established in a distant location such that they can interact and perform their job in ways not previously possible. Now you can see, hear, be seen, be heard and move around in any remote site – just as if you were there. Primary applications include healthcare, monitoring and remote management. VGo's channel partners will enable businesses to increase productivity of remote and travelling employees, healthcare providers to deliver lower cost services and improved quality of care, and small companies to check on their operations - all with a great user experience and at an affordable price.

For more information, visit www.vgocom.com.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless