Guilding the Messaging Lily

Speed, simplicity and, ultimately, efficiency are continual goals in our fast-paced society, and all future roads to efficiency seem to lead through the Internet. Like a wildfire consuming miles of dry vegetation, the Internet is consuming hours of our lives.

With all of the talk of convergence, not only of wireless and wireline but also of e-mail, voice, fax and the Internet, it is not surprising that many exhibitors at Supercomm '98 were talking up the concept of unified messaging. The wireless mantra of anytime, anywhere communications now is being expanded to become anytime, anywhere, anyway communications. The power of obtaining all messages, whether they be voice, e-mail or fax, from one mailbox via a variety of devices was a constant theme at the show.

A BROAD DEFINITION Several companies showed off their modular and scaleable enhanced services platforms that offer carriers flexibility in their service offerings. The platforms allow carriers to offer a dizzying array of enhanced services, with messaging being just a part. The unified messaging concept, however, was emphasized at every stop. Lucent emphasized its unified messaging angle with its AnyMedia Messaging portfolio, which is based in its intelligent messaging architecture. Lucent has embraced a broad definition of unified messaging and is focusing on getting the mailbox to the masses. The portfolio runs the gamut from the basic message notifier to full unified messaging through the Intelligent Messaging Architecture-Caller Applications (IMA-CA) platform. Through the IMA-CA platform, Lucent can consolidate messaging services to forward messages from wireline and wireless phones to one mailbox, and notification can be sent to both wireless and wireline handsets through network integratio! n.

The IMA-Enhanced Service Platform (IMA-ESP) includes the full feature set of the other IMA platforms as well as unified messaging, Internet capabilities and refined intelligent network features.

An upcoming voice-message networking product will allow carriers to connect their voice-mail users to the Internet. It will allow subscribers with multimedia PCs to send voice messages via e-mail to voice mailbox subscribers and vice versa. A non-subscriber feature will allow e-mail users to send voice messages to anyone in the world, even if the person on the receiving end is not a voice-mailbox subscriber.

OPEN SYSTEMS Many companies have focused on the open architecture approach. Pulsepoint Communications, formerly Digital Sound, has taken this approach about as far as possible in its new product line that it constructed from the ground up with progressive service providers in mind, including CLECs, digital cellular carriers and Internet service providers.

The Enhanced Application Platform is constructed with only open, third-party technology: Microsoft's Windows NT Server operating system, Cluster Server and Internet Information Server; Dialogic's DM3 Quad Voice Span Board; Versant's object-oriented database; and Microsoft's Visual Studio and Dialogic tools, integrated with PulsePoint's own rapid application-creation environment.

Its platform is both circuit- and Internet-ready, enabling circuit-based voice and fax mail like a traditional enhanced services platform, session-based e-mail like an Internet electronic messaging platform or all three -- fax, voice and e-mail -- as an enhanced application platform. The platform also scales from 48 ports to an unlimited number of ports or tens of thousands of ports and sessions.

Part of the allure of enhanced services for carriers is the churn factor or, rather, the decreased churn factor. If a subscriber invests the time to set up a virtual office in a carrier's network, he is less likely to "pack up" and move to a new carrier, only to have to start over.

With PulsePoint's platform, mailboxes can be customized to appeal to specific demographic groups and tap new customer segments. The platform offers multiple languages, dialects and personalities. Unified messaging with web access is available for voice, fax and e-mail customers.

Comverse Network Systems also offers unified messaging on its Trilogue Infinity and Access NP platforms, which function as a service node or IP in intelligent networks. Comverse focuses on four key service categories: unified messaging, call completion, content services and user interfaces. In the messaging arena, Comverse's platform offers basic message notification to unified messaging.

Another option for unified messaging is through a software solution. Telinet's MediaMail stores all messages as data elements in one server, and subscribers can access those messages from any web-capable device, PC, phone or fax machine. With text-to-speech capability, users can use their wireless phones to pick up e-mail and fax headers and transfer them to a fax machine or send audio replies to the e-mail. Because all of the messages are in one in-box, it does not matter which device subscribers use. They can use whatever is handy at the time.

As Internet use becomes even more widespread, unified messaging may well become a productive service for carriers to offer. Convergence seems to be a given; it is just a matter of time.

Several companies unveiled the latest developments in the field of remote-accessed virtual assistants at Supercomm '98, promising subscribers easier access and management of data with a single phone call.

General Magic has nearly completed trial tests of its Portico service, a virtual assistant featuring a second-generation intelligent voice-user interface platform called MagicTalk. The Portico product interacts with the user in a natural-language format and understands and responds to more than 1 million potential phrases or questions.

Subscribers use extended speech-based requests via a wireless or wireline device to access and manage voice and data applications. Text-to-voice and voice-to-text applications provide 2-way management of e-mails and faxes. The service also will filter and prioritize designated materials according to user-defined parameters.

"The experience of interacting with people in terms of speaking and listening to conversation is social," said Buck Krawczyk, General Magic director of corporate communications. "That social aspect of it is absolutely critical in the development of the product, giving people a better user experience."

Compaq also presented the Wildfire Electronic Assistant, a speech-recognition program developed by Wildfire Communications that targets wireless users. Like several of its remote-access counterparts, the Wildfire program enables callers to make a single phone call to manage data via command line orders, freeing up the hands for driving or other functions.

"You can make a single call from anywhere to set up a Wildfire session and get into your virtual office," said Erin Colliton, marketing and programs coordinator. From that point, users can work with the program to make additional phone calls, access contacts, receive and send voice mail, and forward faxed materials to an accessible location.

Wildfire officials said they are negotiating with carriers to provide the service, which they plan to have available later this year.