Virtual classroom environment using low bandwidth PSTN

This paper describes system architecture for peer to peer multimedia communication using low bandwidth lines such as PSTN. The intent of this research work is to provide multimedia lectures at remote areas where broadband internet access to students is not available or prohibitively expensive. The system attempts to mitigate the shortage of qualified instructors in far flung areas. Existing telecommunications infrastructure based on low bandwidth PSTN lines has been employed for delivering text, audio, live camera and slides to remote sites in real-time. The system is developed using Microsoft TAPI (telephony application programming interface) for establishing peer to peer connection between any two remote terminals. Paper includes details of complete system development including the GUI, data capture and communication mechanism.