Polycom Telepresence Helps Georgetown University Create Global Classroom

WASHINGTON, DC and DOHA, QATAR and PLEASANTON, CA, Feb
27 (MARKET WIRE) --
Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM), the world's leading provider of unified
collaborativecommunications solutions, today announced Georgetown University has
deployed
the Polycom RealPresence(TM) Experience (RPX(TM)) HD, the industry's only
high definition immersive telepresence solution, in order to create a global
classroom bridging the University's Washington, D.C. and Doha, Qatar
campuses. By providing symmetrical telepresence class rooms in each location
that feature high definition video, voice and content-sharing capabilities,
students
separated by more than 7,000 miles of ocean and land are able to interact and
collaborate with each other and faculty as if they were in the same room.

Located in the capital city of Doha, the Georgetown University School of
Foreign Service in Qatar is the first branch campus of its world-renowned Walsh
School
of Foreign Service at Georgetown. The program provides a four-year
undergraduate degree in international politics to students from the Middle
East and around the world. The Global Classroom initiative, led by James
Reardon-Anderson, dean of the School of Foreign Service in Qatar, is designed to
help provide a consistent learning experience between the campuses.

"The point of the global classroom is to enable students and teachers in
separate locations -- in this case Doha and Washington -- to experience learning
as
if they were in the same room," said Reardon-Anderson. "This gives students
from different countries and cultures an opportunity to talk directly to one
another, and it weaves together the two Georgetown campuses in ways that have
not
been possible in the past."

Creating a realistic and interactive learning environment was important to
Reardon-Anderson and his colleagues. They experimented with other visual
communications technologies and evaluated other telepresence solutions,
butfound the Polycom RPX HD solutions offered a unique and more natural
collaboration experience.

"Georgetown University's global classroom is a great example of how
Polycomtelepresence solutions can erase the collaboration barriers caused by
distance and create wonderful new opportunities -- in this case for the
students, faculty and the university," said Youssef Saleh, vice president and
general manager of telepresence and vertical solutions at Polycom. "The
flexible nature of this technology makes it ideal for a broad range of
industries and interactive applications. We look forward to seeing how the
progressive educators at Georgetown use this solution to continue to enhance
their curriculum for students of international relations."

The system is currently being used in one undergraduate course titled
"Causes of
War." David Edelstein teaches the course from Washington, DC to two groups
of students, one in DC and one in Qatar. After overcoming the initial
surprise of using the new technology, students from both campuses are now
engaging
in real-life classroom discussions.

"It is a way of enhancing the experience by providing select opportunities
for teachers
and students on both sides of the Atlantic to study and learn together," said
Reardon-Anderson.

The University is currently evaluating ways to expand the use of the
systemfor additional courses, as well as student meetings and more.

"This truly opens the doors between D.C. and Doha," said Randy Bass,
executive
director of the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship. "This is
at the center of what we do as a global university. It's exciting how many
possibilities there are for powerful interactions in the future."

Polycom telepresence solutions eliminate the barriers of working across
distance
through immersive, life-like visual communications, enabling people to
collaborate
face to face with coworkers, customers and partners in different locations as
effectively and productively as if they were in the same room. Polycom
telepresence solutions are based on open standards and work seamlessly with the
full range of Polycom visual communications solutions from the desktop to
immersive
telepresence suite, allowing organizations to connect their entire knowledge
network. The standards-based solutions integrate with the unified
communication networks that customers have today, and interoperate at the
highest
possible quality with standards-based video conferencing solutions from other
manufacturers,and the million-plus legacy video conferencing systems in use
around the
world.

Additional information:

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service www.georgetown.edu/sfs/

Georgetown University News article about new Global Classroom
http://explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=31240

Polycom RealPresence Experience telepresence solution www.polycom.com/rpx

Podcast -- Polycom Introduction to Telepresence
http://www.polycomondemand.com/podcasts/index.php/category/telepresence/

About Georgetown University

Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in
America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown today is a
major student-centered, international, research university offering respected
undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on its three campuses in
Washington, DC. For more information about Georgetown University, visit
www.georgetown.edu.

About Polycom

Polycom, Inc. is the worldwide leader in unified collaborative
communications (UCC)
that maximize the efficiency and productivity of people and organizations.
Polycom delivers the broadest array of high definition telepresence video,
wired and wireless voice, and content solutions so people can enjoy the best
communications, whether from a real-time collaborative interaction or
on-demand streamed video experience. Spanning from the desktop to the industry's
only
immersive telepresence suite, Polycom's high quality collaboration and
communications
solutionsare easy to deploy and manage, as well as intuitive to use. Based on
open
standards, they integrate seamlessly with leading telephony and
presence-based networks. With innovative market-driving technologies, a
compelling vision for next generation visual communications, best-in-class
products,
alliance partnerships, and world-class service, Polycom is the smart choice
for organizations to gain a competitive advantage with proven and trusted
communication solutions. For additional information, call 800-POLYCOM or
visit the Polycom web site at www.polycom.com.

Polycom and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks, and RealPresence and
RPX are
trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners. Copyright2008, Polycom, Inc. All
rights
reserved.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=700697

Contact:

Kevin Young
Polycom, Inc.
925-924-5706
Email Contact

Charles Nailen
Georgetown University
974 534 9051
Email Contact

Copyright 2008, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-