Fujitsu ramps up VoIP push

Fujitsu is throwing its weight behind VoIP, signing Sydney IP telephony software developer Carbon Twelve less than two weeks after announcing a marketing deal for the technology with Sun Microsystems.

Under the two-year deal agreement, Fujitsu will market, implement and support Carbon Twelve's IP telephony applications miReception and miPA across Australia and New Zealand. Fujitsu claims its combined offering will enable customers lift cost savings, call control and productivity.

Carbon Twelve is certified partner to a small US developer, BroadSoft, that has been much in the news of late following Telstra's mid-August launch of an IP telephony service using its software.

Fujitsu's IP telephony offering also uses BroadSoft's Broadworks application, which Fujitsu claims is uniquely flexible and scaleable. Fujitsu further claims to be the principal system integration partner for BroadSoft in the Asia-Pacific.

Brian Murphy, GM of telecommunications at Fujitsu Australia, said that IP telephony was rapidly maturing in the Australian marketplace. 'This partnership further strengthens the IP telephony offerings from Fujitsu ... on top of Fujitsu's recent partnerships with BroadSoft, Sun Microsystems and Connect Internet Solutions,' he said.

Murphy said the deal combined Fujitsu's expertise in enterprise-grade communications systems with Carbon Twelve's software applications.

Fujitsu said Carbon Twelve's miReception, a carrier-class console application for front-of-house inbound call operators, is a scaleable way to add functionality to the basic BroadWorks software.

Desktop phone assistant application miPA is a VoIP call management product which augments BroadWorks CommPilot Call Manager. Features include Microsoft Outlook integration, Fujitsu said.

Ray Trevisan, vice-president of sales and business development at Carbon Twelve, said previous VoIP software had tried to mimic traditional phone systems without sufficiently considering user experience.

'Computer-telephony integration (CTI) offers users better design and functionality that makes advanced IP phone features easier to use. The result is improved business productivity,' Trevisan said. Privately-owned Carbon Twelve was formed in 2000.