BellSouth to bundle Nortel MCS

BellSouth said today that it would sell a package of voice and data services that uses Nortel’s Multimedia Communication Server 5100.

The MCS, which sits on the customer premises, allows enterprises to converge their data and voice operations and use a variety of new applications including enhanced collaboration, Meet-Me Media Conferencing, video conferencing and advanced messaging. The platform also is based on SIP, which opens up the potential for third-party application development.

"There isn’t really one killer application," said Matt Sperling, enterprise account vice president at Nortel. "Everybody we talk to realizes how they can use this to make them more productive."

The MCS also gives BellSouth the opportunity to get into accounts that may not necessarily want to make a significant and noticeable change for their users. Because it can support a TDM environment, users could install the server and keep their existing desktop phones in place while providing some IP applications.

Among the carrier’s first customers is Central Piedmont Community College, which is shifting its voice and data network to an IP environment.