Microsoft, Softbank in Japanese VoIP deal

Microsoft, Softbank BB and Japan Telecom announced a partnership Wednesday to develop communication services that combine Internet telephony, e-mail, Internet access, instant messaging and other services.

The companies said they plan to begin trials of the integrated services in the spring of 2006 and eventually offer them to business customers.

Some of these services are Microsoft's Solution for Enhanced VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) Services, Softbank BB's broadband VoIP services, and Japan Telecom's network infrastructure and management offerings, the companies said. Japan Telecom is a subsidiary of Softbank BB.

It's not the first deal Microsoft has struck to try to tap into the fast-growing VoIP market. In September, Microsoft announced a VoIP partnership with Qwest Communications. And in December, Microsoft said its forthcoming Messenger Live instant messaging software would have VoIP abilities in conjunction with a nonexclusive deal with MCI.

Microsoft's Solution for Enhanced VoIP Services includes hosted versions of several Microsoft communication software packages, including Exchange Server 2003, Office Live Communications Server 2005 and Windows SharePoint Services.

[Captain_Spock]

WOW! Microsoft's Solution for Enhanced VoIP...

... Services includes hosted versions of several Microsoft communication software packages, including Exchange Server 2003, Office Live Communications Server 2005 and Windows SharePoint Services"; what a line up of this company's products; and, can Google, Sun Microsystems, IBM and others withstand this combination in 2006 and onwards! ;-)

[Captain_Spock]

The Google-IBM Battle for Honor!

This Microsoft, Softbank BB and Japan Telecom announced "partnership Wednesday to develop communication services that combine Internet telephony, e-mail, Internet access, instant messaging and other services" is certain to come up against the Google, IBM and Sun Microsystems line up. Will there be a "Battle For Honor" involving the "Redmond Empire" as "On December 5 IBM announced that the upcoming version of the IBM® Workplace Managed Client? will support the newly ratified Open Document Format for Office Applications (ODF) standard. By extending the support of open standards to the desktop, IBM customers can now help protect an organization's investment in corporate data by ensuring consistency, reliability and accessibility of their documents.

This announcement is particularly relevant in emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, China and India, where acceptance of open standards, such as ODF, will help governments achieve their goal of truly bridging the digital divide and reaching out to citizens by deploying open, accessible standards -- not proprietary software", as compared to Microsoft's market dominated proprietary products.

http://www-306.ibm.com/software/swnews/swnews.nsf/n/nhan6jsr8a?OpenDocument&Site=lotus