IBM and Nokia Reach Telecom Convergence Deal

By Raju Shanbhag

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

Telecom giants IBM (News - Alert) and Nortel this week announced that, together, they’ve reached a new network convergence landmark. As a consequence of their partnership, customers of both companies now have access to a wide range of devices which can be accessed from any network—be it wireline, wireless or DSL/cable broadband.

 

Apart from bringing the advantages to customers, the partnership between IBM and Nortel (News - Alert) also provides an enhanced ecosystem for third parties to develop and test new, converged applications and joint innovation centers. The agreement also enables the inclusion of Nortel fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) and VoIP applications in IBM’s carrier solutions.

 

Nortel and IBM have entered into successful partnerships before. These two companies had come together in the past to develop IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) carrier customer trials all over the world.

 

Under the current agreement, IBM and Nortel will make use of their current IMS developer and interoperability testing programs and help telecom application providers and carriers to bring new multimedia services to market. These services include IP security/surveillance, “find-your-buddy,” child tracking, video dating, and enterprise business applications with click-to-call capabilities.

 

Nortel intends to offer a pre-integrated IMS solution, and to achieve this the company will include IBM's WebSphere Presence and Group List Enabler Software as part of its IMS portfolio.

 

IBM builds its solutions on the WebSphere Application Server with its integrated SIP technology, which offers a converged HTTP/SIP service execution platform. IBM's new standard compliant IMS enablers are delivered by Nortel on the IBM BladeCenter family including the new IBM BladeCenter HT.

 

This agreement is expected to enable the partners to rapidly develop and pre-test services without the requirement of a live IMS network.

 

To execute this new deal, IBM and Nortel plan to open a new IMS testing/innovation center at Nortel's Richardson campus. This lets the carriers and development partners the ability to test and run communication services and applications on a live IMS network. These centers will showcase Nortel’s IMS and VoIP portfolios along with IBM's IMS service execution environment.

 

Since its 1895 founding as Northern Electric and Manufacturing, supplying telecommunications equipment for Canada's fledgling telephone system, Nortel has grown to become a global leader in delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, power global commerce, and secure and protect the world's most critical information.

 

Nortel is a recognized leader in delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, ignite and power global commerce, and secure and protect the world's most critical information. With more than a century of experience in shaping the evolution of communications, Nortel delivers innovative technology solutions encompassing end-to-end broadband, Voice over IP, multimedia services and applications, and wireless broadband designed to help people solve the world's greatest challenges.

 

The company also provides portfolio solutions in packet, optical, wireless and voice technologies.