VON: Nortel launches into multimedia

BOSTON—Nortel Networks today announced the launch of its Media Application Server at the Voice on the Net show here. The server, which is designed to work with Nortel's Multimedia Communication Server 5100 and 5200, will allow carriers to converge multiple media into one service, the vendor said.

Using a demonstration that was more akin to a 2001 trade show than the more austere 2003 versions, Nortel is showing how a user could have voice access to e-mail, video e-mail, video streaming and “meet me” conferencing. In a more realistic demo, the company showed how a basic Blackberry device can be integrated with presence management software to not only keep tabs on co-workers, but also notify users of pending file transfers and missed voice calls.

The goal is to get carriers to think beyond simply offering voice services over IP networks, said Al Safarikas, vice president of wireline marketing for Nortel.

“One of the key things it does is disassociate the applications from the device,” he said.

Initially, the company has developed applications with both Ubiquity Software and Broadsoft with most geared specifically to the enterprise user. Nortel is implementing the enhanced media processing capabilities in software rather than hardware, because it allows the vendor to more easily adapt to changing needs, Safarikas said.

“As the devices become more enabled with more mediums, we can support them,” he said.

Nortel is initially supporting protocols such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and VoiceXML (VXML) as its open interfaces for developers. By the second half of 2004, the server also will support multiple scripting engines for third-party development.