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	Standards Committees: ITU IMTC NIST
	Applications: Intel Internet Video Phone Microsoft NetMeeting

H.323 is a recommendation from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that sets standards for multimedia communication over packet-based networks. An internationally agreed-upon specification, the H.323 standard defines how PCs can interoperate to share audio and video streams over computer networks, including intranets and the public Internet, which typically do not provide a guaranteed quality of service. By complying with H.323, multimedia products and applications from multiple vendors can interoperate, allowing users to communicate without concern for hardware compatibility. As a result, H.323 is the keystone for network-based products for consumer, business, entertainment, and professional applications. Fully committed to marketplace diffusion of H.323 technology, Intel has been instrumental in the definition and development of this important specification.

While the ITU's role is that of a standards-setting body, the International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC) focuses on practical validation and promotion of standards. And because interoperability testing is now at the forefront of the conferencing industry, IMTC sponsors--and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) supports--developers in testing their H.323- and T.120-compatible products for compliance.

Why H.323 Compatibility is Important

Simply put, H.323 provides for a common protocol so that communications products offered by different vendors can work together, i.e., interoperate. Applications function seamlessly, and are network, platform, and application independent. By standardizing applications and infrastructure on the Internet, the H.323 standard forms the foundation for a new class of PC-based, people-to-people communications capability.

Supported Applications

H.323 provides standard communication protocols for a broad range of network- and Internet-based multimedia applications:

Desktop video conferencing

Internet telephony

Video telephony

Collaborative computing network gaming

Business conference calling

Distance learning

Support and Help Desk applications

Interactive shopping

H.323-compatible applications may be integrated into personal computers or implemented in standalone devices. Support for voice is mandatory, while data and video are optional.