Telefonica Digital has announced the acquisition of video communications platform TokBox as it plans to extend its digital communications suite with face-to-face online and mobile video services.

TD said it would leverage US-based TokBox’s OpenTok Video Platform to add cross-platform, web-based live video communications to its current voice and messaging offerings.

The platform, launched by TokBox in 2010, inserts video calling into websites and mobile applications.

It enables high quality video sessions with up to 20 live participants and unlimited viewers, and has been used previously by brands such as American Idol, Ford and Diet Coke.

Telefónica’s offering will be available to both enterprise and retail customers through a tailored solution or customisable API.

The two compaies will also collaborate to include video APIs in the operator’s BlueVia platform, creating a world-wide unified video, voice and text API service.

Matthew Key, CEO of Telefónica Digital, said: “By adding TokBox’s unique capabilities to our communications portfolio, we will allow our customers to leverage the full potential of web-based video communications in their own business models.”

Tokbox CEO Ian Small added: “Despite all our progress to date we are still in the early stages of the industry and this is a very exciting opportunity to accelerate the development of the OpenTok platform and rapidly expand its global reach and presence.”