Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced  that it has entered into an agreement with the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) to supply Cisco WebEx(TM) web and audio collaboration technology to businesses throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This agreement aims to have a major impact on improving productivity, lowering cost and further reducing boundaries that facilitate business and education.

As part of this agreement, STC joins the Cisco Channel Program as a Cisco Authorized WebEx Resale Partner. STC is the first company in the Middle East to join the program and marks another key milestone in the strong relationship between the two companies.

Highlights/ Key Facts:

• WebEx is an easy way to exchange ideas and information by connecting people around the world. It combines real-time desktop sharing with phone conferencing. As a result, it is often referred to as web conferencing -- due to the combination of web plus phone interaction -- or an online meeting -- due to the fact that everyone participating in the meeting can see a shared desktop presentation, giving the interaction the same feeling as in-person meetings.
  
• WebEx is software as a service (SaaS). The user simply subscribes to the service and can then log in and use WebEx from any computer with an Internet connection, as well as from most smartphones.
  
• Subscribers can invite participants to attend a WebEx meeting over email, instant message, or via text messages. Participants do not have to be subscribers themselves in order to participate. They simply click a link in the invitation to join the online meeting, where they will get easy step-by-step prompts to join the web conference.
  
• Once a session is started, the meeting organizer and participants can share documents, presentations, and applications or even open a blank document and start creating together.
  
• Audio and video are both possible, as well as recording the session to be shared later with those who were unable to join.
  
• STC recently supplied WebEx technology to the First International Conference of e-Learning and Distance Learning held in Saudi Arabia. The conference encouraged partnership and cooperation between public and private sectors in the areas of e-learning and e-training development.
  
• This recently launched program is a first for a company in the Middle East and marks another key milestone for the strengthening relationship between Cisco and the STC since both companies announced their collaboration to offer networking solutions to businesses throughout Saudi Arabia, in January last year.

Supporting Quotes:
Ismael Hassa, director, WebEx Operations at Cisco, commented:
"This agreement with STC marks a key milestone for enhancing collaboration and productivity within business throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With more than 10 million people throughout the world now using WebEx every month, it is becoming an integral tool in daily business operations and services. It is important that businesses in Saudi Arabia are able to utilize the latest collaborative technologies to enhance business growth and development; WebEx is a tool that can help businesses achieve these goals."

Eng. Samir Matbouly, vice president for Enterprise Business Unit, STC, said:
"We are the leading provider for telecommunications services and fully integrated solutions in Saudi Arabia; it is important that we are at the forefront of technology so that we can always offer our customers the latest enhancements in the market. Cisco's WebEx solution will help our customers accelerate business processes and speed innovation."