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The range includes the MD Evolution, a brand new system with which Ericsson will compete in the SME sector for the first time. Also offered will be the Business Phone family of products that offer solutions in the 25 to 250 extension range. At the higher end of the scale are the MD110 and MX-ONE, which target users requiring up to 30000 extensions.

“These are heavyweight solutions,” said Carter, “and give Rocom additional flexibility as it targets SME and enterprise customers. We shall be able to do so confidently – the brand carries the greatest credibility. You cannot get a better endorsement than to be chosen by BT to develop its 21st Century Network.”

Carter also has the highest expectations of Ericsson’s Ethernet Access product. “Broadband is now essential for every organisation and take up is running at over 70000 connections a month. An obstacle to universal implementation at sites such as hotels and university campuses is the cost of re-cabling. Ethernet Access overcomes this as it delivers broadband over existing copper cabling. The market potential for all partners – including the channel – is immense.”

New strategies demand a new distribution model, not merely a re-alignment of resources. Bob Old, Rocom’s Chairman said, “We are partnering with a vendor whose name carries the highest prestige. Ericsson’s reputation will facilitate the winning of higher margins by creating an opportunity for dealers to sell their price.

“For our part, we are setting up a dedicated Business Unit headed by Jenni Hill, who makes a welcome return to Rocom. Total technical and bid support will be available on demand. The technical support function will be headed by Andy Wilson. It’s worth mentioning that Rocom achieved accreditation at advanced level in record time.”

Carter sees rich potential for the partnership as IP adoption accelerates. “There will be growing customer led demand for the replacement of legacy systems. The channel can only benefit from the proposition that Rocom will offer.”

iSip provides businesses with the advantages of VoIP telephony which Interoute sees as being free Internet calls, free national fixed line calls and radically reduced charges to mobiles and international calls, with none of the associated security concerns of free VoIP services.

Peter Wood, Chief of Operations at First Base Technologies, a leading security consultancy said: “Skype and other peer-to-peer VoIP services present a serious risk to corporate security. The user is essentially in control and the IT department can do little or nothing to manage the traffic that runs across the corporate network. Skype is incompatible with traffic monitoring and Intrusion Detection System (IDS) tools, leaving the service open to hacker attacks, especially as the software fully trusts any other Skype device. Already some hacker groups are working on cracking the Skype model to use it as an attack vector.”

The iSip service is delivered via Interoute’s wholly-owned next generation network and is specifically designed to provide the dramatic cost benefits of popular VoIP services while giving control back to an organisations' IT department.

Irwin Lazar, analyst, Burton Group, said: "We recommend that enterprises take security into account before deciding to allow employees to use the Skype service. While the cost savings and improved communications are apparent, these may come at the expense of a company’s security policies."

iSip is being launched as businesses across Europe are exploring the benefits of VoIP. Thirty two million corporate employees across Western Europe will be connected to a VoIP system by 2010, according to a recent report from Analysys, the global advisers on telecoms, IT and media. The report claimed that spending on business VoIP systems and services will grow by over 17% per annum for the next five years, reaching EUR12 billion in Western Europe. By 2010, 1.6 million corporate employees in Western Europe will have discarded their traditional fixed office phone and have only a mobile phone handset.

This widespread move towards VoIP based solutions is also set to impact the traditional business voice telephony revenues of the large incumbent telecom companies, a market that Ofcom³ valued at £1.13bn (2004 figures) in the UK alone. Ofcom’s figures for 2004 show that BT’s traditional business voice revenues stood at £596 million, 48 per cent of the UK market, so the potential impact of free business calls is clear.

James Kinsella, Interoute’s executive chairman said: “We are now offering free calls to businesses in an entirely secure and protected environment and it is clear that the potential cost savings are immense. The security and quality lapses associated with public access VoIP services are well documented, with the cost savings continually offset by poor service quality and threats to the corporate network. iSip delivers all the benefits of a free VoIP service, with the heightened security, quality and flexibility that are essential for the corporate environment.”

Interoute has grown revenues by more than 100% each year since it restructured in 2003. Over its owned and operated next generation network, Interoute offers a range of highly advanced services such as Arena, Europe’s largest and most successful VoIP-trading platform.

The ability to quickly satisfy BroadSoft's more than 30 European carrier customer needs through a centrally located operations office was the primary incentive behind BroadSoft's decision to establish the Prague facility, which complements the BroadSoft sales offices in Bonn, London, Paris, and Stockholm.

The centre will be supporting carrier customers deploying BroadSoft's VoIP application software over the BroadWorks platform, with hosted PBX applications for SMEs, mobile PBX solutions for extending enterprise communications functions to mobile workers, business trunking that interconnects customer premise equipment, and residential broadband solutions for consumers who use VoIP as their service at home.

The system offers an integrated personal alarm function, alert messaging, paging and voice telephony with access to a range of sophisticated communications services. It integrates with existing voice and data networks and can interconnect with public networks.

The system includes the Ascom i75 wireless VoWiFi handset, Ascom’s Portable Device Manager and Integrated Messaging Server as well as the Ascom VoIP gateway. These can be combined with third-party equipment such as WLAN access points, wireless switches and PBXs or IP-PBXs.

“VoIP and WiFi have become standardised and mature technologies, enabling us to offer solutions that meet user organisations’ requirements for reliability, robustness, security and flexibility,” said Ascom’s Chief Technology Officer, Stefan Brämberg.

“Customers of our new Voice-over-WiFi solution will benefit from Ascom’s 50 year track record of providing on-site communications systems that allow people to work more productively and respond more quickly in time-critical situations. They can be reassured that what they are getting is not the latest technology ‘hype’ but a dependable and future-proof system that will provide unprecedented mobility to their staff.”

“But what are these security threats and how can resellers address users concerns so that organisations have the confidence to buy VoIP solutions through the channel? Phil Wedgwood, managing director of managed business telephony provider, Voice4IP, explains.

Migrating voice services to an IP network immediately exposes telephony to the same security issues that threaten any other IP application. Unlike email or instant messaging, voice is a genuine real time communications medium and can easily be derailed by bandwidth degradation, network jitter and packet loss.

Voice over IP (VoIP) networks use the same TCP/IP technology as any other network connected device and require the same procedures to ensure their security. Hackers will inevitably turn their attention to VoIP systems, so it is imperative that security is top priority in the resellers’ sales strategy and integral to VoIP system design.

Companies adopting VoIP should be aware of threats including; voicemail spam, ID spoofing and denial of service (DoS) attacks as well as the possible interception of private or sensitive phone calls.

It is a joint vendor and reseller responsibility to provide a VoIP system that addresses all these security fears. Customers should be advised right at the start of the process about the available security measures, such as encrypting voice traffic, running it over a VPN, making sure firewalls are properly configured, and choosing a provider where the firewall configuration does not have to be completely overhauled.

Running traffic over the public Internet is inherently insecure and trying to add security onto this can never be as effective as using a private network. A private network also makes activity and call tracking easier.

If companies opt for the DIY approach, and choose to try and integrate disparate hardware and services, the risk of exposing the business increases. Often only large organisations have the luxury of fully skilled IT teams with Cisco accredited staff and network professionals capable of implementing such projects. Resellers can add the most value through advising the less technology mature businesses.”

So what are the issues for the channel?

- Resellers must understand the issues of a fragmented system. Selling an IP PBX where the customer may link via the public Internet could be exposing them to security breaches. - Resellers must understand their liability, focusing on how they can protect themselves, looking at what they can legitimately be responsible for given they do not have control over the entire system. - If a provider includes a soft switch can they control and change the code? Things as simple as protecting voicemail boxes and outbound calls need to be managed as the system evolves so these cannot be hacked leading to 'toll-fraud'. - Who owns responsibility for the service levels? The right vendor-partner agreements are needed to fully protect customers.

Wedgwood concludes, “Given that security is a real issue, resellers have a duty to plan, implement and maintain the highest quality systems. Selling a fully managed system exposes the reseller to less risk and can increase their involvement in future customer revenue.”

The proposals would allow BT to set its own prices for the first time in 22 years. According to Ofcom, new technology and the growth of competition have transformed phone services over the last 10 years. Average call prices have fallen by more than 50% since 1996, while more than 10 million households now use providers other than BT for their phone calls.

New technology has had an impact. According to Ofcom, industry estimates suggest that there are now more than 500,000 active VoIP users in the UK. Mobile phone use is still increasing, with 31% of all UK voice call minutes originating from mobile phones rather than from fixed-lines in the period between July and September 2005. There has also been considerable competitive local access investment, says Ofcom.

The watchdog believes that the time is right to consider allowing retail price controls to lapse.

But Ofcom will not release control entirely: its proposals include important protections for vulnerable groups as well as specific pricing assurances from BT on key services including line rental. These assurances would remain in place until the end of 2007 and would be in addition to existing statutory requirements from BT under its Universal Service obligations.

Ofcom plans to carry out a review of the retail market in 2007, in order to assess the impact of deregulation.

Addressing the communications needs of enterprises with up to 732 extensions at a single site and more than 20,000 extensions when networked, the 7400 builds on the inherent security features of the 7200 by adding higher density modules and gigabit interfaces.

Commenting on the release of the 7400 Barry Castle, Head of Product Marketing stated “The OfficeServ 7000 series is unique in the market place, with the addition of the 7400 platform our channel partners now have the capability to address a much wider area of the market.”

Castle continued, “Security is a major issue for our Resellers and their customers. When you implement a converged solution the last thing you want to worry about is whether your voice system has become vulnerable. We are the only vendor currently addressing this important concern with a fully integrated intrusion detection and protection solution available across the OfficeServ 7000 family.”

The new offering includes solutions for active recording in Nortel’s newly developed Duplicate Media Stream over IP (DMS-IP) architecture, active recording for Cisco’s CallManager, new redundancy options for Avaya’s Communication Manager API, and IP-phone applications.

Customers are to be connected from April and participants in the initial roll-out range from large corporates, to film, media and financial companies. A Member of Parliament will also take part, with a view to using the Urban Wimax service for their office within the Houses of Parliament.

Initial sites have been chosen for their wide range of application needs, enabling Urban Wimax to prove the technology's capabilities, which include wireless 10Mb upload and CCTV through to business critical voice and video. The company is the first to deploy a network using the WiMAX 802.16d 2004 standard in the UK. Participants will test-drive the service free of charge, with a full commercial launch of Urban Wimax's service planned for the third quarter of 2006. The service provides 10Mb symmetric (10Mb upload and download) connections at 50% to 70% of the cost of comparable services. Urban Wimax's use of advanced WiMAX mapping software (the fruition of a ten year research and development project) enables the company to solve the problem of non-line of sight delivery of WiMAX services in dense urban areas. Sasha Williamson, Founder and CEO of Urban Wimax, comments: "The potential for WiMAX is enormous. Wireless connectivity is no longer just about Wi-Fi connections to the internet in your office meeting room or Starbucks, it's a primary data connection, offering all the security guarantees that businesses require. WiMAX was designed with security, quality and reliability at its core." Damien Anderson, Operations Manager from MainspringUK, one of the chosen participants commented, "For us WiMAX is a very compelling network connection option because our needs are not currently being served by other technologies out there. Urban Wimax's innovative technology will provide us with what we need: a 3-10Mb connection, security and reliability. Crucially though we need a symmetric service - high speed download alone is not enough - and we are not prepared to pay over the odds for such a straight-forward requirement." Urban Wimax has signed a lead financing agreement for £16.95m in funding, £1.7m of which is earmarked for this first phase of network roll-out, with a further £2.7 million available as introductory offers for businesses in Westminster. This will be rapidly followed by £3m to establish a profitable business across London, and then £12m to launch the service in at least nine other major UK cities. The company is launching its service with an initial offer worth £1,353 per connection. Businesses will receive installation, equipment, and three months of connection at no cost, with no obligation.

In addition a customer can test the concept of recording on their ISDN 30 lines with a small system installed on only a few channels and/or pick out specific DDI numbers to be recorded. Prices to the end user could be as low as £3000 for a starter system. A choice of three different base units, various hard drive sizes, CD-RW drives, rack mount units, archiving software (which includes basic call management), encryption cards and monitoring software are available giving resellers the opportunity to match their customer’s exact requirement.

Cobley continued, “It’s important to remember that these systems all have an independent hard drive as well as archiving calls to a PC or CD-RW drive. Some systems on the market only record to a PC with potentially disastrous consequences if the PC crashes or is disconnected”.

Retell also have a range of recording systems for installations above 30 channels, for VoIP and in June will also launch expandable ISDN 2 systems.

“Each year that we conduct a new ICC research study in the SMB market, we see a significantly higher demand for IP Telephony,” said Terry White, vice president and senior program director, InfoTech. “The small and medium business decision-makers that participated in the study are expecting a major increase in the percent of their sites that would be implementing IPT and converged applications in 2006.”

In 2005, the revenue from IPT systems and converged applications for SMBs was $1.4 billion. By 2010, that market is projected to increase to $3.3 billion, which represents an average annual growth rate of 19 percent. Last year converged applications accounted for only 20 percent of that total. By 2010, the applications share is expected to jump to 46 percent of the total revenue. “Almost 60 percent of SMBs strongly agreed that IPT will enable new converged applications that can change the way that SMB companies do business,” White added.

“We have long focussed on innovation and delivering clear business value to our customers and that is being reflected by our increased marketshare,” said Doug Michaelides, Mitel global vice president of marketing. “Mitel delivers the full value of IP communications through networked business solutions that help customers achieve success through business process integration, enhanced employee productivity, increased customer loyalty and helping to generate new revenue streams.”

Mitel has also announced the general availability of Live Business Gateway to complement Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 and Office Communicator client applications. Based on the SIP, XML and CSTA standards, Live Business Gateway allows Microsoft's applications to access Mitel's IP-based call control, devices and applications, empowering businesses to leverage their existing investment in both Microsoft and Mitel communications solutions.

The company says the combination of Microsoft Office Live Communications Server and Mitel Live Business Gateway enhances information worker productivity and brings business process efficiencies by combining collaboration tools with telephony.

BT’s most recent announcements of content deals for the new service include a deal with leading TV production company Endemol to license programming and develop cutting-edge interactive content for BT Vision. The company also recently signed a deal with Cartoon Network to license its most popular programming such as the Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory and to develop interactive content for BT Vision

BT Vision will also benefit from content deals already announced with some of the world’s biggest entertainment companies including BBC Worldwide, Paramount and Warner Music Group, factual powerhouse National Geographic Channel and with kids’ TV programming leaders HIT Entertainment and Nelvana. BT will unveil further big name deals throughout the year as it builds towards launch .

Customers will be able to choose from a wide range of on-demand film, music and television programming as well as a groundbreaking interactive and communications service, all available through their TV sets.

The service will be a world-first, combining access to digital-terrestrial channels through the aerial with broadband-powered video on demand. This unique combination, delivered on a software platform powered by Microsoft and through a set-top box made by leading manufacturer Philips, will allow customers choice, control and convenience. Unlike other pay-TV services, there will be no mandatory monthly subscription.

BT Vision will be enabled by the BT Hub, the device which is at the heart of BT’s strategy for the converged home. The hub will also allow wireless networking for the family’s PCs and laptops and up to five different calls to be made at the same time using voice over internet technology.

Dan Marks, chief executive of TV Services, said: “Our choice of the name BT Vision encapsulates the qualities needed to make this offering successful and underpins how important our next generation TV will be in the converged world.

“BT Vision will be offered nationwide and will be not restricted to metropolitan areas and as with Freeview there will be no mandatory subscription.”

Bart Delgado, Managing Director of Swan Solutions commented on this success, “One of the keys to this success story has been the consistent way in which Callview has been developed to meet and often anticipate, the needs of the modern business. With the introduction of Callview Version 4, Swan Solutions is taking Callview even further by offering an evolved solution to business management.

New features include Back2Agent routing, which provides a solution to callers frustrated by having to speak with a different agent each time they call. Callview Version 4 provides new intelligent routing capabilities for calls and e-mails, enabling users to automatically route calls and e-mails, from identified parties, back to the last agent or extension the person was in contact with. We believe this feature will dramatically improve call handling times and enhance customer service.”

Delgado adds, “To achieve this functionality with most other applications there is normally a complex link to a back-office database. However with Version 4 the application is integrated, as the Callview Gateway deploys a learning process that creates its own call routing table dynamically for the user.”

Conscious of the ever present need for businesses to use technology to gain competitive advantage and at the same time control costs, Version 4 now includes a new entry level desktop CTI application, in the form of Callview Client Go. Despite its entry level description Callview Client Go includes user features such as call redirection and retrieval as well as access to the last 100 call history items.

The introduction in Callview Version 4 of internal call modelling enables the monitoring of all calls whether internal or external, including those made between nodes across networked telephone systems. This means that users can apply Callview’s advanced reporting and navigation capabilities to calls generated internally as well as externally, enabling users to effectively manage their call traffic regardless of its origin.

Bart Delgado sees many applications for this development: “We have always been able to track and report upon calls received in to a call centre ‘from cradle to grave’, charting the initial call answer and any onward transfers through to the completion of the call. With internal call modelling however users can now have that same functionality for calls originating from within their own organisation. This is particularly useful in applications where organisations have an internal help desk function that supports staff for say user IT support issues and needs to demonstrably meet service targets for their users.”

Swan Solutions introduced media blending in version 3.1 and with the increasing trend towards multi-media messaging Callview Version 4 now takes media blending a step further. Users can now apply the advanced reporting capabilities of Callview Wizard ACD and Desktop Wallboard to monitor e-mails that have been media blended, alongside normal telephone calls - both historically and in real-time - giving users a complete picture of their call and e-mail activity.

The Callview Multi-Media Gateway now provides enhanced media blending capabilities, allowing users to seamlessly integrate different forms of media, for example, calls, e-mails, faxes, etc into their business.

Bart Delgado, “Using the Multi-Media Gateway option, combined with the Callview Navigator, users can queue and evenly distribute various media types between agents, based on staff workload, skill-set, time, or service levels etc, ensuring optimum efficiency of staff and minimum wait times for customers. We believe that Callview media blending provides an evolutionary step forward and has many applications for users including the routing of e-mails as well as calls to available agents, sending automatic responses as messages arrive which will show real-time statistics, for example, average wait times. Additionally the Multi-Media Gateway enables users to block inappropriate e-mails or replies, automatically assign lost calls to agents for quick callback and is capable of routing other forms of media in the same way using third party software.”

Many more new features are added in Version 4 including advanced DND status reporting allowing users to produce concise reports and statistics on the DND status of their colleagues.

Bart Delgado, concludes, “All of these new and enhanced features are designed to achieve greater efficiency and productivity for users. The great news for existing users of any Callview system is that Swan Solutions will be making upgrades to Version 4 available at very advantageous rates.”

When you look at market segments however there is some cheer with the over 100 extension market rising 10% and the 501 to 1000 extension market up 20%. Sadly for most channel players neither of these segments constitute areas of major activity as they are predominantly in the domain of vendor direct sales forces and BT.

The meat and gravy for the channel is in the sub 100 extension market and here MZA reports that the market fell away by five percent in terms of extensions shipped.

BT maintained the overall lead in the supplier market with 25% market share of extensions shipped with Avaya in second place followed by Panasonic and then Cisco.

In the below 100 extension segment Panasonic retained their market lead, followed by Nortel and Panasonic. Above 100 extensions Nortel was number one followed by Cisco and then Avaya.

IP extensions also slowed in Q4 2005 with MZA noting a 54% increase compared to 80% the year before but now account for nearly a quarter of all extensions shipped. Cisco retains a lead in this market with a 40% share followed by Mitel, Nortel and then Avaya in fourth place.

C&W is to focus on only 3,000 large business and government customers and BT is offering those displaced businesses a dedicated team of advisors to understand their options and help them manage the unexpected requirement to move to another communications company with the minimum of hassle and disruption.

In the current uncertain times for businesses, with the shock withdrawal of a large company such as C&W, BT believes that customers need help to find a stable, long term and reliable provider.

Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: “This uncertain situation could be damaging to a business. They could be without service while they chose another supplier, which could harm their prospects. That’s why we have set up a free number for anxious customers, where they will be able to speak to a dedicated team of knowledgeable, trained staff.

“I can assure all businesses that BT still wants their custom. The SMB market is one of the most dynamic parts of the UK economy and we are already attracting around 2,800 business lines a week back to BT because of our trusted brand and good value packages.

BT adds, “Recent mergers, acquisitions and strategy changes have also left customers questioning future service from some suppliers. We are happy to take calls from, and advise those businesses too.”

The intelligent Application Builder (iAB) suite consists of three products to allow businesses to adopt the solution that best meets the level of voice integration required for the business. All the products in the suite share a common intuitive graphical user interface. Applications are drawn by ‘point and click’ using a set of basic building blocks, each of which has its own individual properties and associated actions. The products also use the core TeleWare runtime libraries to maintain the same high level of compatibility with industry standard PBXs and third party applications.

iAB is used to produce IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and automated attendant routines to present the caller with a menu of choices to ensure calls are routed to the correct destination. This powerful, simple to use toolset is designed to let businesses develop, test and invoke customised call flow and application solutions encompassing intelligent call routing, queuing, messaging and information services and call connection for receptionist assistance. Its wide range of functionality makes iAB ideal for the development of automated routines for simple call routing based on a number of variables such as time of day to enhanced applications such as stock enquiry and product ordering. IVR call flows developed using iAB can also act as a sophisticated front-end to intelligent Contact Centre or to any 3rd party Contact Centre / ACD system.

intelligent Auto Assistant (iAA) product enables intelligent call routing and allows the creation and modification of simple voice response menus, including: spoken phrases, dialling of alternative numbers, transferring of callers to an attendant or users, leaving messages on the voice mail system and creating simple voice forms for collection of customer details.

intelligent Voice Response (iVR) product offers a wider range of functionality needed to build more complex IVR routines. It is ideal for the development of automated routines, from simple call routing based on a number of variables such as time of day, to enhanced applications such as stock enquiry and product ordering. Capabilities supported include the use of Voice Forms for data collection. Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) capabilities can be implemented as part of an organisation’s IVR strategy, so that required menu options and data input may be spoken by callers as an alternative to being entered using DTMF tones from a telephone keypad. ASR features are particularly beneficial in empowering mobile and disabled workers. Voice prompts for callers can be automatically generated using Text to Speech (TTS) technology. This is particularly useful where call flow applications are frequently modified or new applications are implemented, as the need to record new prompts is avoided.

intelligent Developer (iD) provides the ability to take interactive voice response a step further and build voice solutions that are fully integrated into business solutions. Most business processes consist of a sequence of interactions involving the exchange of information between customers, staff and computer based systems. The right integration technology, such as TeleWare's intelligent Developer, can enable customers to automate this kind of information processing, making it more efficient.

The addition of NetLink Wireless Telephones complements the existing KIRK wireless product line, which includes wireless DECT solutions with analogue, ISDN and IP interfaces to the PBX. The Wi-Fi handsets furthermore fit well into the KIRK vertical market strategy and broaden the selection presented to the customer – in terms of technology and in terms of handset functionalities targeted at specific vertical market segments.

The SpectraLink VIEW Certification Program ensures interoperability between the SpectraLink Wi-Fi handsets and 802.11 access points (APs). There are a number of VIEW certified APs from companies such as 3COM, Nortel, Alcatel, Aruba, Symbol and Trapeze.

“We are delighted to be able to use this year’s CeBIT stand to show our customers our expanded product portfolio and look forward to providing the market with an even broader spectrum of wireless solutions – now encompassing Wi-Fi as well as DECT,” stated Ole Lysgaard Madsen, president and managing director at KIRK telecom A/S.

“With this product launch we are at the first step of leveraging our acquisition of KIRK telecom A/S. The launch of Wi-Fi products in the KIRK sales channels – as well as the launch of DECT products in the existing SpectraLink channels – is increasing our international reach, making us a truly global leader in enterprise wireless voice solutions,” said John Elms, CEO at SpectraLink.

The NetLink handsets will be displayed at the KIRK telecom A/S stand together with the range of KIRK DECT handsets at CeBIT. Furthermore the KIRK Wireless Server 600/3 will be displayed and demonstrated along with different third party applications to enhance functionalities.

They claim that customers deploying Foundry Networks' FastIron SuperX Series and FastIron Edge X424-POE can now "cost-effectively and easily add Mitel 5200 series phones equipped with gigabit Ethernet to enable gigabit Power over Ethernet VoIP capability to the desktop."

Mitel and Foundry Networks also offer an end-to-end secure convergence solution based on existing enterprise servers such as Microsoft IAS, Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005. The combined solution is claimed to deliver advanced secure VoIP, instant messaging, and presence.

The companies say they are working together to simplify the deployment and configuration of VoIP in enterprises so as to minimise the opportunities for human error and to maximise business continuity.

The Ofcom announcement says that over time NGNs will offer consumers a wider choice of innovative new products and more value for money. However to ensure these benefits are delivered, providers need to agree the technical and commercial arrangements for connecting to each other’s networks.

NGN development is a significant technological change which requires substantial investment and detailed planning. After a public consultation published in June 2005, Ofcom has today set out its approach to facilitating effective cross-industry coordination and to providing greater clarity to operators and investors about the regulatory framework for NGN development.

New industry body

Ofcom’s approach includes the establishment of a new industry body, NGN UK, which will be launched later this month. NGN UK will be led by Peter Black as Executive Chairman, in addition to his ongoing role overseeing the independent Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator and Local Loop Unbundling.

• The introduction of an NGN industry body was first proposed by Ofcom in its June 2005 consultation on NGNs; • Eight companies have already committed to NGN UK. These include: BT Group plc; Cable & Wireless; Easynet; Kingston Communications; NTL; Thus; Vodafone; Wanadoo UK; • NGN UK will focus on the technical and commercial arrangements for NGN development. Its initial priority will be to help companies develop an effective technical and commercial framework for interconnection between NGNs. • Ofcom will monitor NGN development and the work of NGN UK closely, to ensure that regulation is informed by the industry’s commercial priorities.

BT’s 21CN will provide the basis of the most powerful competitive and productive communications environment in the world and represents one of the biggest ever investments in the economic infrastructure of the UK by a private company. It will encourage innovation and provide the UK with a competitive edge. Lead times for the introduction of new products and services will reduce dramatically making it significantly quicker and cheaper for businesses to bring new and exciting services to market.

BT’s preferred suppliers all have operations in the UK. Each agreement signed will support employment in the UK among the suppliers selected as well as BT itself. Alcatel and Cisco have been selected to supply metro nodes providing routing and signalling for 21CN’s voice, data and video services. Cisco has also been selected to supply large scale routers providing high capacity, cost efficient connections between metro nodes. Ericsson has been selected in the i-node domain – in essence the intelligence that controls the services. Fujitsu will be providing access technology which will link BT’s existing network with the new 21CN.

Paul Reynolds, BT Wholesale chief executive, said: “These are exciting times. The UK is the first country in the world to move its core telecommunications infrastructure to a next generation all-IP network. The industry worldwide is watching what we are doing very closely. BT’s customers will be the first to enjoy the next generation of converged network services that 21CN enables.”

“NuPoint Messenger IP 640 stays true to Mitel’s commitment to providing customers with a migration path that protects their current investment and allows them to cost effectively add applications, features and capacity as businesses grow and evolve over time,” said Mitel CEO Don Smith. “Release 10 of NuPoint Messenger IP 640 completes our messaging portfolio which, combined with the scalability and resiliency of the Mitel 3300 IP Communications Platform (ICP), provides a comprehensive solution for small businesses through to Fortune 100 enterprises.”

The company claims NuPoint Messenger IP Model 640 provides a valuable option for customers who are looking for higher scalability and resiliency when replacing Centigram Model 640 systems and other older/legacy voice processing systems. The carrier-grade messaging solution provides a modular architecture that expands from eight to 240 ports and over 100,000 mailboxes providing customers with the ability to evolve their system through added system capacities, features or both without the need for costly upgrades or replacements. NuPoint Messenger Release 10.0 offers superior availability and resiliency with the ability to program voicemail ports to re-home to a secondary 3300 ICP featuring resilient hunt group capabilities.

“This latest release of NuPoint Messenger IP 640 demonstrates that Mitel is ahead of the curve by providing a true ‘unified communications’ solution, taking advantage of presence capabilities, as well as advanced speech technologies,” stated Blair Pleasant, president and principal analyst of COMMfusion. “By providing a modular and scalable product, Mitel customers can start with the capabilities they need today, and grow the system over time.” Mitel say that by deploying their advanced messaging applications organisations can reduce their total cost of ownership, improve employee productivity and provide superior client service. Enterprise users can be more productive with advanced unified messaging features such as Text To Speech (TTS) with voice reply allowing mobile employees to easily access and respond to email messages regardless of location using the device of their choice.

The announcement by Mitel further illustrates their continued coming together with Microsoft’s strategy in that NuPoint Messenger is compatible with Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005, and will enable users to invoke messaging options based on their presence information and can be integrated at the desktop with Microsoft Office Communicator 2005. Users can access their voice messages directly off the NuPoint Messenger 640 IP message store via the telephone, web, or email client. Additionally, users are able to reply to voice messages with an email, forward messages via email, and save their messages to their email inbox for archiving as a WAV file.

"Winning this award is great testament to the investment and hard work the team has put in over the last year, building our Cisco business and continuously delivering a high level of quality and service," comments Martin St Quinton, CEO, Azzurri Communications. "As the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, this award provides Azzurri with excellent industry recognition and credibility in the marketplace."

John Donovan, Managing Director, Channels & SMB Cisco Systems UK & Ireland, said: "Cisco Systems has some of the best channel partners in the industry, many of which are growing at a rapid pace. Thanks to the Geographical Awards, we can recognise and reward our top performers, such as Azzurri Communications. Supporting partners is a priority for Cisco and we strive to ensure that valuable and high quality resources are available for them to provide smart, simple and secure solutions that meet the individual needs of customers."

The Panasonic Voice Recorder is multi channel audio recording software designed for simultaneous recording from multiple sources. Recording is possible on the extension and at the trunk, or both.

The company says this new application can be used effectively for many purposes, and it is especially critical in all industries that sell or give advice over the phone, as it is often legally important for the communication to be stored as data, i.e. the financial industry. All FSA regulated companies including banks, building societies and insurance companies tend to have call recording when giving financial advice or transactions.

Panasonic Voice Recorder is provided to Panasonic via CommSoft, and is known throughout the non-Panasonic channel as VoiceMaster.

57% of IT managers across all industry sectors would consider reviewing existing systems in order to move to a converged voice and data solution this year. 73% would be prompted to review their systems to cut costs but interestingly, whilst budget considerations were a top priority for IT managers in the retail, transport and distribution sector (73%), and the manufacturing industry (61%), only 44% of IT managers in the financial services sector felt that cutting costs was the most important factor and instead, selected convergence as the number one driver for a systems review in 2006.

Whilst a number of barriers to VoIP adoption clearly exist including lack of budget (40%), contentment with existing suppliers (38%), lack of in-house resource (33%) and lack of knowledge about the solutions available on the market (18%), the majority of respondents (54%) were resolute in declaring that this would not deter them from reviewing their voice and data procurement to consider a VoIP solution in 2006.

So, are we to see a surge in the uptake of VoIP in 2006? Well, it is clear from the results that the vast majority of IT managers have overwhelming embraced IT telephony in the form of audio conferencing with 63% of companies frequently using audio conferencing and only 9% of companies claiming they have never used it.

IT managers are also clearly educated about the business benefits that VoIP can deliver with 63% of respondents across all industry sectors stating they would move to a converged solution in order to cut business costs. 53% would migrate to VoIP if implementation were simple and 45% would be tempted to migrate if they were confident they would be dealing with a trusted supplier. Security was an issue for 36% who would only consider a VoIP solution if water tight security measures were in place.

Despite the lack of barriers to adoption and an obvious interest and understanding of the business benefits that VoIP can deliver, it appears that the UK industry is still in the early adoption stages. In 2006, deployment will be gradual. This is illustrated by the fact that only 23% have already deployed the technology; a further 26% intend to introduce a solution this year, whilst 51% will not be implementing a new solution this year.

Phil Marshman, director of VoIP solutions, Zycko comments, “It is apparent that VoIP is no longer a technology buzz word; the days of companies clinging to their trusty circuit-switch networks are finally coming to an end. IT managers across the UK now fully understand the major business benefits that VoIP can deliver. Many are seriously rethinking their voice and data strategies and considering migrating their existing services to cut costs and improve the quality of services in their businesses in 2006.”

“Interestingly, there are no major barriers to VoIP adoption, something which I am sure wouldn’t have been the case a year ago. The financial services industry is clearly leading the way towards VoIP, but it arguably has the greatest need for international business communications, so this is unsurprising. What is surprising however, is the fact that the vast majority of companies are already using IP conferencing technology; 28% of respondents are already using VoIP and at Zycko, we have certainly seen a clear rise in demand for third generation, best of breed, scalable VoIP solutions, based on open standards technology. The fact that a further quarter of enterprises are considering implementation in 2006 demonstrates that the market for VoIP is finally taking off.”

Highlights include a move away from Windows to Linux based appliance approach and a more pragmatic product set for the SME. With the launch, Cisco for the first time adds native SIP support, giving users presence capabilities, improved mobility features and the ability to support third-party SIP-based phones

Based on the Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture (SONA) announced in December 2005, the Cisco Unified Communications system is an open and extensible platform for real-time communications based on presence, mobility and the intelligent information network. By using the IT data network as the service delivery platform, the system helps workers to reach the right resource the first time by delivering presence and preference information to an organisation’s employees.

“The Cisco Unified Communications system is the first true second-generation Internet Protocol (IP) Communications system providing not just telephone services, but rather a rich communications environment that seamlessly integrates voice, video and data collaboration in one system. It is also the first new Cisco system to fully support the Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture (SONA) announced in December 2005,” said Charles Giancarlo, chief development officer, Cisco Systems, Inc. “Cisco SONA extends the power of the network to optimise applications, processes and resources to deliver greater business benefits to enterprises. By building on Cisco SONA, Cisco Unified Communications leverages network intelligence to greatly simplify the day-to-day challenges of collaboration with colleagues.”

The Cisco Unified Communications system is based on their existing IP Communications portfolio including Cisco CallManager, Cisco Unity, Cisco MeetingPlace and Cisco IP Contact Center and now includes additional products, applications, features and capabilities. New to the Cisco Unified Communications system are Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, Cisco Unified Presence Server and Customer Interaction Analyzer. Current customers will be able to upgrade their existing systems to take advantage of the new capabilities.

The firm said 78% of its users would be able to access at least four megabits per second (4Mbps), compared with the maximum of two available now.

Almost half would get 6Mbps and those close to their local exchange would be able to access 8Mbps.

Some rival providers already offer up to 24Mbps, but their services are restricted mainly to clusters of users in big cities.

BT said more than 5,300 exchanges serving more than 99.6% of UK homes and businesses were being upgraded to support the higher speeds.

As well as making web browsing and e-mailing quicker, higher speeds mean people can do more with their net connection, such as watching video, listening to audio, and playing online games.

David Thorn, CEO at Telstra told Comms Business Magazine:

“We have been using VoIP ourselves for some time and have deployed the application in our new Cambridge Data Centre. We have alpha customers now and are planning a channel roll out at the end of March for a hosted IP PBX service.”

Channel Manager Ben LeFeuvre added, “We have deliberately held back a bit because we know that when the products go to the channel, who have a lot of traditional PBX experience, we don’t want to go to market with anything that is less than fully prepared and viable.”

Thorn concluded, “With a lot of this stuff, as it is all built in software, it is only when you actually try it and use it that you find out what bugs are in there. For example even on the handsets we have found ‘speaker bleed’ so we have looked at this as well as volume on hunt groups, the amount of messages you can leave on voicemail – this is the level of detail we have gone into before we push the service out to the channel as we do not want to have a failed launch.”

Telstra are using Cisco and Mitel IP Phones but will be bringing in low cost devices. Additionally they have a Softphone option.

The hosted services will be available on a per user per month charge.

Featurenet SmartNumbers, an application developed by Teamphone, deliver on the promise of convergence by enabling organisations to enjoy benefits such as location-independent working, collaboration, CTI and business application integration with the resilience and reliability they have come to expect from BT Featurenet.

Peter Donovan, Head of BT Featurenet said: "The market clearly distinguishes between next-generation networks and next-generation services. Whereas the next-generation networks promise the cost-savings through the rationalisation of their voice and data infrastructure, it is next-generation Services that can deliver most value to the business over time. Featurenet SmartNumbers enables frictionless communication between companies, their employees, suppliers and partners. This helps organisations to be more efficient, more responsive and more easily able to deliver customer service at the pace and quality demanded today."

Prior to this announcement, organisations looking to enjoy the benefits of next-generation voice services were forced down the path of network convergence first, which for many requires significant investment in both time and resources. Featurenet SmartNumbers turns this proposition on its head by delivering these on today's network. However since SmartNumbers operates across both Featurenet as well as BT's next-generation VoIP networks, customers can be assured that they have a simple migration path for these services when the business case behind next-generation networks supports the migration to VoIP.

In addition to providing a new class of rich telephony services, Featurenet SmartNumbers opens up a whole new class of mission-critical business applications, including:

* Hot-desking and Flexible Working * Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery * Enterprise-Class Voice and Fax mail * Virtual Contact Centres

Geoffrey Paterson, CEO of Teamphone commented: "This announcement represents an important extension to our supplier relationship with BT. BT and Teamphone have invested heavily to ensure that these next-generation services are an integral part of both the business process and the network so that customers can have a facility which aids a tight control of costs with a single point of access for ordering, provisioning, support and billing. Organisations that appreciate the flexibility and cost benefits of hosted telephony also appreciate the benefits of hosted services."

At the initial stage, Samsung will market and resell Avaya’s contact centre and IP telephony solutions in Korea. The alliance will also drive the co-development of technologies that will enhance Avaya’s IP-based mobility and convergence solutions. These solutions will be either co-branded or individually branded, and sold through Avaya’s global sales channels.

Implications for the UK market are still being determined but could be significant and lead to consolidation within the channel by the two vendors.

The statement issued by the companies says that under the agreement, Samsung and Avaya will co-develop and market products for IP-based solutions that serve the voice, video and data convergence market. Samsung’s established position in the telecom industry, particularly in mobile technology, and Avaya’s widely recognized IP telephony market leadership will complement each other, and provide customers with better choices of IP-based network services.

“Samsung is very pleased to enter this agreement with Avaya. We believe this relationship will contribute toward our vision of enabling customers to incorporate converged technologies into their day-to-day operations,” said Kitae Lee, the president of Samsung's Telecommunication Network Business. “We look forward to expanding the reach of our communications solutions to more enterprises through convergence.”

“We are proud to work with Samsung. This agreement enables us to increase our global competitive advantage in IP communications and further strengthen our position in the Asia Pacific region. Our reputation for innovation and communications solutions that improve business operations will bring new advantages to Avaya and Samsung customers,” said Donald K. Peterson, Chairman and CEO of Avaya.

Commsoft also have various other facilities for presentations including a 150-person gallery and a studio theatre. Another unique feature is a 60-seat cinema complete with Dolby surround sound and air conditioning. With an on site bistro and several bars, a terrace for the summer months and gardens, the complex offers great facilities for staff and Commsoft partners.

‘We have a special arrangement with the Hilton hotel opposite and can therefore offer accommodation for delegates and guests within staggering distance of the complex! For the cultural types, we can provide cinema and films, recording studios, theatre, live music within the venue – something for everyone all in one place without having to negotiate a strange town to seek entertainment’, says Bonnie Church, Marketing Director.

The new offices, which are easily accessible from both the M4 and M3 motorways, will be utilised for reseller and end user training sessions, seminars, end user events in partnership with resellers, product launches and they will also house the Technical & Development divisions of Commsoft whilst also forming a base for the Southern sales operation.

‘We are very excited about the potential of our new offices: we can now offer unique facilities for our resellers and partners, unrivalled by anything else in the channel. As a keen fisherman, I am looking forward to using the 350 year old lake and catching a few monsters myself!’ says Anthony Church, MD of Commsoft.