Lucent, Sun sketch out Net messaging: Collaboration aimed at multiple access methods

Lucent Technologies and Sun Microsystems did a little moonbeaming last week, announcing that the two companies would jointly develop a unified messaging platform geared specifically toward telcos and Internet service providers.

During the ISP Conference and Industry Forum in San Francisco, sponsored by Sun and several others including Lucent, executives from both companies talked up a vision of messaging that would allow users to access any type of message from any type of access device, including wireless phones and set-top boxes.

Meanwhile, the companies said the collaboration will lead to a slew of new applications from third-party developers.

"We're really putting an architecture and framework in place that allows people to access files," said Sun CEO Scott McNealy. "All of this becomes part of your unified message stack."

Included in that stack are fax, voice mail and e-mail, which can have attached audio or video files. In the initial rollouts, users will be able to send, receive and manage those messages from any telephone or PC. Future implementations will include the use of smart cards, which can contain personalized information such as an e-mail address and personalized home pages, and allow access from devices such as set-top boxes or hotel phones equipped with readers.

"We view messaging as table stakes in terms of what we're going to build," said Doug Sabella, chief operating officer of Lucent's Octel messaging unit. "We're trying to build a network-centric view of messaging."

At the core of the joint effort is a combination of Sun's Solaris operating environment, Java programming and its Internet mail server with Lucent's Octel messaging platform and text-to-speech technology from Bell Labs. The two companies will publish open application programming interfaces that will allow independent Java developers to create new services, said Stuart Wells, senior director of Internet business services for Sun.

Still unresolved, though, is which type of service provider offers the most immediate outlet for unified messaging. Telcos, ISPs, cable operators and wireless carriers all have potential to offer the service, but none is a clear winner yet, said McNealy. "[Internet protocol] is the great amalgamator here and Java is the portal. We don't pick the winners. We just want to supply arms to both sides."