Contact Information: Media contacts: Jennifer Greeson Cisco 202-354-2968 jennifer.greeson@cisco.com Stefanie Scott Verizon Business 512-495-6730 stefanie.scott@verizon.com Christi Davis Gallagher Wal-Mart 1-800-331-0085 christi.gallagher@wal-mart.com
U.S. Troops in Iraq Connect With Family and Friends via TelePresence
Cisco, Verizon Business and Wal-Mart Team With SkyPort and the USO to Help Troops Speak to and See Loved Ones at Home
| Source: Cisco Systems, Inc.
TEMECULA, CA and EVANS MILLS, NY--(Marketwire - May 8, 2008) - With Mother's Day just
around the corner, Cisco (NASDAQ : CSCO ), Verizon Business and Wal-Mart,
along with SkyPort Global Communications and the USO (United Service
Organizations), are helping to provide virtual family reunions for U.S.
troops serving in Iraq. A lifelike, immersive video communications
technology -- known as Cisco® TelePresence -- allows the troops to bridge
the distance and speak to and see loved ones at home.
"Cisco TelePresence demonstrates the power of communicating and
collaborating real-time as though you were meeting face-to-face," said John
Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco. "Our companies are very proud to join
together to honor and recognize our troops and their loved ones. We hope
military families will take advantage of this technology and connect with
our service men and women overseas during the upcoming holidays."
Rheanna Kitch, whose husband is serving in Iraq, commented: "I loved
feeling like my husband was sitting right across the table from me. It
makes this deployment a little bit easier being able to see my husband on a
huge screen. Even though my sweetheart is half way around the world, when I
am in that room he is right beside me."
The collaborative effort to support the troops includes the use of Cisco
TelePresence to allow troops based in Iraq to connect with friends and
family members back home. The free connections, using Verizon Business'
Private IP network and a SkyPort satellite uplink, are available 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, and link two remote bases in Iraq to two Wal-Mart
stores: one located near Camp Pendleton in Temecula, Calif., and one
located hear Fort Drum in Evans Mills, N.Y. Two specially equipped
family-gathering rooms were built in the Wal-Mart stores and opened April
2. They will be available through July 6, spanning the upcoming holidays of
Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day and Independence Day.
"Verizon Business is proud of the technology we deploy to help members of
the U.S. Armed Forces stay in touch with their families at home,'' said
John Killian, president of Verizon Business. "The women and men serving
overseas make sacrifices every day and we hope this effort will help them
feel closer to their loved ones by being able to sit across from each other
and talk -- even though they are located at opposite ends of the world."
Cisco TelePresence replicates face-to-face interaction so realistically
that it feels as though everyone is in the same room, even though they may
be thousands of miles apart. While videoconferencing has been
intermittently available to service men and women, the Cisco TelePresence
deployment represents the first lifelike communications of its kind between
these particular troops and their families back home. Families from Camp
Pendleton and Fort Drum are using the technology to reconnect with loved
ones, see children and even hold virtual birthday parties.
"Getting to see my husband in Iraq really helps me," said Mellissa
Reynolds, who has used Cisco TelePresence in the Temecula, Calif. Wal-Mart
to connect with her husband in Iraq. "It's so comforting to go to the
Wal-Mart store and be that close to him, as if he is right next to me.
TelePresence makes it so much easier to communicate with him because I can
see his facial expressions when he talks. You can't see that in an email or
phone call."
Rollin Ford, EVP and Wal-Mart's chief information officer, said: "Wal-Mart
is committed to supporting not only our troops but the entire military
family, and we are proud to join with Verizon and Cisco to help connect
military families with their loved ones serving in Iraq. Through
TelePresence, our customers have the unique opportunity to support and
connect with our men and women in uniform through a virtual face-to-face
interaction."
The Cisco TelePresence rooms are located at the Wal-Mart Store in Temecula,
Calif. (32225 Highway 79 South, Temecula, Calif.) and at the Wal-Mart Store
in Evans Mills, N.Y. (25737 US Route #11, LeRay, N.Y.).
Skyport has installed satellite ground links at two bases in Iraq where
soldiers and marines can access a Cisco TelePresence system to have live
conversations with family members and friends. This is the first example of
Cisco TelePresence being deployed via satellite.
"We are honored to have been chosen by Cisco to participate in this effort
to put our nation's soldiers and marines in closer touch with the families
they have left behind," said Patrick Brant, president and CEO of Skyport.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ : CSCO ) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms
how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco
can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to
http://newsroom.cisco.com.
About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE : VZ ), is a global
IP leader and network-based partner for delivering integrated
communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large-business
and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed reach with
managed services, security, mobility, collaboration and professional
services capabilities, Verizon Business delivers global solutions that
power innovation and enable its customers to do business better. For more
information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE : WMT )
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters,
Neighborhood Markets and Sam's Club locations in the United States. The
Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and
the United Kingdom. The Company's securities are listed on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can
be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are
available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.
About SkyPort Global Communications, Inc.
SkyPort is a global communications carrier providing managed, secure,
broadband satellite and terrestrial communication services to a range of
government and enterprise clients. With its global network, engineering
expertise, and owned infrastructure at the highly secure Ellington Field
Joint Reserve Base in Houston, SkyPort exceeds the security and reliability
standards of its clients. SkyPort was honored by the World Teleport
Association as the fastest-growing teleport operator in 2006 and received
the National Guard's Minuteman award in 2005 for outstanding disaster
support during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. www.Skyportglobal.com
About the USO:
The USO (United Service Organizations) provides morale, welfare and
recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The
USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of
the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is
supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners AT&T Inc., BAE Systems North
America, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Gallery
Furniture, S & K Sales Co., and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other
corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign
(CFC-11381), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the
USO. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.uso.org.
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