Photos: BT talks big on virtual worlds

BT is developing services that could allow users of virtual worlds to call or text out to their colleagues and friends in the real world.

To test the technology it has built a private island (above) in Second Life which it has dubbed Area 21 - a play on the ultra-secret Area 51 and BT's 21CN network technology which is being used in the services.

Matthew Brotherton, project manager at the Applied Technology Centre in BT's chief technology office, told silicon.com: "This is about how we integrate BT's communications services that are exposed as part of the Web21C platform, into virtual environments."

He said Second Life is great a platform for this as it allows users to create the environment around them.

Image credit: BT