Sydney reseller PTS Communications and has joined New Zealand reseller Business Technology Group (BTG) in completing a high-profile ShoreTel unified communications rollout to 50 Hoyts cinemas across Australia and New Zealand.
The rollout, which will serve 2,300 staff, is the first time Hoyts has moved to IP telephony. The deployment includes 38 cinemas in Australia as well as at least six satellite offices.
Hoyts' general manager for Cinema Technology Group, Adam Wrightson told CRN that Ericsson and Commander analogue systems were replaced, with PTS taking over telephony services from I-Comm in Melbourne and Essential Data & Voice in Sydney.
The upgrade follows a major network overhaul for the Hoyts, in part to enable the switch to digital projection of movies. Wrightson described the shift as a “revolution” for the cinema industry.
Hoyts has also been upgrading its communications infrastructure as it continues to evolve beyond its roots in cinema. The company has more than 600 DVD kiosks around Australia that are all endpoints on the Hoyts network, and require a customer service operation. It also has digital signage in more than 300 shopping centres and Val Morgan Pump TV, which has screens in 200 petrol stations – all connected to the company’s IP network.
While cinemas still have PSTN lines for emergency lines for functions like alarms and elevators, all voice travels through IP now, Wrightson said.
Hoyts cinemas are present in all Australian states except Queensland. The Australia and New Zealand operations boast 400 screens and more than 75,000 seats spread across 43 cinemas.
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