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Widely embraced today for its cost-savings and rapidly increasing service quality, Internet telephony in the future will include both voice and multimedia features, according to a Toronto-based telecom equipment maker.

 

In video, podcast and print presentations put out today, Nortel Networks Corp, the largest telephone equipment maker in North America, announced that it sees VoIP as a building block for next-generation communications that could include applications that integrate video conference and instant messaging with digital TV.

 

According to Samih Elhage, president of Carrier VoIP and Application Solutions at Nortel (News - Alert), VoIP is a launch pad for applications to make consumer and business communications more dynamic, efficient and affordable.

 

Nortel led VoIP’s evolution as the first in the industry to offer complete Public Switched Telephone Network replacement to VoIP, and deployed the first carrier VoIP network in North America, Elhage said.

 

“Based on our long history in this technology, we know what customers want and we have the expertise to provide it,” Elhage said. “With our industry-leading Carrier VoIP technology, we are taking VoIP to the next level with pre-packaged consumer and business voice and multimedia solutions as well as traditional Class 5 evolution and transit/multimedia interconnect solutions. We will continue evolving VoIP to the next level and setting the bar for next-generation communications applications like FMC and video.”

 

As TMCnet reported, Nortel recently announced that it was focusing on regional service providers that serve customers in some of North America’s most remote locations, with a solution that expanded the availability of its latest voice and multimedia applications.

 

According to TMCnet Contributing Editor Susan J. Campbell, the company’s Communication Server 1500 – whose architecture is diagrammed below – is being used by more than 120 regional service providers throughout North America.

 

“A couple examples of regional service providers using Nortel’s technology to help shrink the digital divide for their customers include Goldfield Telephone in Iowa and Hood Canal Communications in Washington,” Campbell reports.

 

Officials at Nortel said today that VoIP capabilities in the future will be integrated with blogs, eCommerce and social networking sites such as eBay and Facebook (News - Alert). The company envisions a world where, with a single click, users will interact directly with other people through an online video conference or voice call straight from the Web.

 

In homes, Nortel sees family members getting their own unique numbers so that lines aren’t tied up, making international calls at VoIP’s lower rates through software interfaces on computers or portable devices and SIP phones.

 

In businesses, the company sees its IP Powered Business solution helping colleagues leveraging technology to communicate as though they’re meeting in person.

 

According to Nortel, using different service providers for communications needs becomes inefficient and confusing for SMBs without dedicated on-site support personnel.

 

“When service providers use Nortel’s IP Powered Business solution to bring the latest VoIP services to their customers, businesses have access to the Personal Communicator application – a one-stop shop for voice, presence, IM and live video conferencing, allowing them to easily collaborate and connect with coworkers from any location over an affordable IP connection,” company officials say.