BTGS

BT today announced two further voice initiatives on its converged communications platform, BT Onevoice. To enable larger organisations to accelerate the adoption of communications applications to the desktop, BT is launching SIP trunking in a number of countries, delivering a clear migration path to unified communications. At the same time, BT has the global Microsoft qualification of BT Onevoice for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2.

BT Onevoice’s SIP trunking provides full connectivity between domestic country voice services and BT’s Onevoice global VPN to help customers reduce telephony costs and rapidly deploy converged applications. The service offers local numbering for both outgoing and incoming call traffic that can be delivered anywhere on a user’s network. Already available in the UK the services will be rolled out to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and the US in the coming months, with further regions, including Spain, to follow. In addition, by utilising SIP trunking, customers can reduce rental for access lines, reduce call costs, and improve collaboration for users, whether they be office based, on the move or based remotely.

BT and Microsoft have deepened their longstanding collaboration following a qualification process which means that voice services can now be connected directly from Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to BT Onevoice globally, opening new unified communications and collaboration (UCC) opportunities for customers.  Office Communications Server 2007 R2 users can now streamline communications by combining presence and instant messaging interoperability with BT Onevoice conferencing, and software-powered voice over IP in a single, unified platform globally.

BT Onevoice is now a qualified SIP trunking service for interconnection with Office Communications Server 2007 R2.

“SIP trunking gives customers the capability to introduce collaboration applications which increase productivity and save cost. The Microsoft qualification will open the door to further developments within the combined BT and Microsoft portfolio, creating a platform for innovation inside BT Onevoice all in a security-enhanced global environment,” says Neil Sutton, Vice President, Global Portfolio, BT Global Services.

“We are pleased that the SIP Trunking service of BT Onevoice is qualified for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2,” says Yancey Smith, Director of Product Management, Communications Server for Microsoft. “The BT Onevoice solution will expand the geographical coverage of SIP Trunking service for multinational customers of Office Communications Server 2007 R2.”

The latest moves follow the announcement last month of the Onevoice Ribbit v1.0 trial which embeds Ribbit’s innovative voice features into the BT Onevoice solution and comes as BT announces an up to 25% committed savings offer for organisations migrating their voice estate to BT Onevoice. These innovations confirm BT’s goal to reposition telephony services as true applications and deliver high quality global solutions with predictable and flexible commercial packages.

BT’s Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) solutions include a combination of traditional voice services, next generation voice services including VoIP and IPT, BT professional services and support of key vendor platforms such as Cisco Systems, Avaya and Microsoft managed services.

Notes to Editors

SIP is a signalling protocol which underpins a Unified Communication and Collaboration (UCC) network infrastructure. It has the capability to manage additional communications other than voice over the IP Trunk, e.g. Instant Messaging, Application Sharing, Video, and Presence etc. It is anticipated that SIP will ultimately replace the current H323 VOIP Protocol.

SIP trunking enables a customer to use their PBX to take advantage of their investment in IP-enabled telephony. Voice over IP (VoIP) can be used to make and receive calls from the Public Switched Telephony Network (PSTN), over a customer’s existing IP network. SIP trunking provides access to new audio, IM, presence and video capabilities beyond the enterprise. SIP trunking is already available in the UK.

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 delivers important functionality that extends software-powered voice, particularly for remote and mobile workers; provides on-premise audio conferencing to help reduce operational costs; and includes new developer advances, including the ability to build communications-enabled business processes. These capabilities can improve business communications through a unified infrastructure and user experience.