New Competitors Enter the Online Conferencing Market

Chinese companies enter the international market for conferencing technology.

The Growth of Video Conferencing

Zoom has been a lifeline for many companies and individuals over these last couple of months. They have proved the efficacy of remote working in a way that many never thought of a possibility. Zoom has facilitated important meetings, events and even court cases

In fact, even as lockdowns lift in many countries, many companies are choosing to keep working from home. Other companies have entered the market. Google have made their “meet” technology free and more accessible, and House Party was a popular choice for a while. However, Zoom has mostly had a monopoly in the online conferencing industry.

Competitors in China

Back in September, Beijing blocked the international version of Zoom. This opened the conference call market for local tech companies. Since then, DingTalk and VooV have become key players in the online conferencing market.

DingTalk

DingTalk is owned by the Alibaba Group, one of China’s biggest technology companies, specialising in retail, internet and ecommerce. The app is now used by more than 10 million businesses across China as well as more than 120 million students. Recently, DingTalk has advanced their technology and now a conference call can host over 300 participants. Last month, DingTalk infiltrated an international market with the launch of “DingTalk Lite”. This was launched in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. It is also available in different languages: Traditional Chinese, English and Japanese. Even though the market is only in Asia at this stage, the figures are already impressive. 

VooV Meeting

VooV Meeting is also gaining popularity in China. Owned by gaming and technology giant Tencent, VooV Meeting is a video conferencing tool. Already VooV Meeting is being used across several countries, including Japan, Singapore and India, Like DingTalk, it can host 300 participants.

The Future of Conferencing 

Both of these conferencing platforms have upped their game in terms of technical level, international reach and capacity of participants. As we enter a future in which video conferencing may become the norm, Zoom may have to develop its tech in order to keep up. Whatever conferencing platform you choose, it seems that the trend of online conferences is not going anywhere fast.