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In the world of telecommunications, partnerships are vital to be able to extend solution technologies beyond the walls of one company in order to embark on new opportunities and new innovations. One partnership that has proven to be especially fruitful is that of Polycom (News - Alert) and BroadSoft.

 

Polycom, a provider of telepresence, video and voice communications solutions, recently announced the arrival of the Polycom VVX 1500. Positioned as redefining desktop communications, this business media phone is considered the first of its kind as it combines a personal video conferencing system with a fully featured voice over IP (VoIP) telephone.

In addition to these capabilities, the VVX 1500 also offers an open application programming interface (API) and microbrowser for real-time delivery of personalized Web content as well as integration with key business applications.

The launch of this new phone is largely possible due to the contributions of BroadSoft (News - Alert). A provider of VoIP applications and a strategic Polycom partner, BroadSoft has been an integral player in bringing the VVX 1500 to market.

"There is growing demand from our service providers and customers to help them configure video within our BroadWorks call control platform," said Mike Tessler, CEO of BroadSoft, in a Monday statement.

"We have a long history of teaming with Polycom to deliver high quality hosted VoIP solutions, and the VVX 1500 is especially compelling because it goes far beyond the functionality of a traditional video phone by combining rich telephony, business-class video and an applications platform that is all deeply integrated with the BroadWorks platform, and it is extremely easy to use."

The VVX 1500 was designed to simplify communications as it combines voice and video into a single personal device. A large color LCD display and Polycom HD Voice technology, the VVX 1500 is designed to enable high-resolution, face-to-face collaboration without requiring travel, delivering a compelling return on investment.

The new features exclusive to the VVX 1500 seamlessly integrate with an intuitive color touch-screen interface to enhance personal productivity, simplify multimedia communications, improve team collaboration, and reduce travel costs.

"We anticipate that within five years, nearly 10 million business media phones will be shipped worldwide, generating more than U.S. $3 billion in annual revenue. They are a key to the future of the IP PBX (News - Alert) business," commented Keith Nissen, principal analyst at In-Stat, in the Monday statement.

"With its rich heritage in voice and visual communications and content sharing, Polycom is well positioned to be a leader in this new world of communications. The company's VVX 1500 is the first business media phone that enables customers to work more efficiently and effectively than ever before by tying together voice and visual communication with critical business processes."

Building on its previous success in the market, Polycom created the VVX 1500 to use the same Session Initiation Protocol (News - Alert) (SIP) software as incorporated in its SoundPoint IP and SoundStation IP desktop and conference phone product lines to communicate with SIP based IP PBX and hosted call servers.

The product is in the process of being SIP video-certified by Polycom's ecosystem of more than 30 VIP and VoIP Field Verified call control partners, including BroadSoft, Deltapath, NEC Sphere, Objectworld, and Zultys (News - Alert).

"Our customers consistently seek better leverage of their communication systems to improve productivity and reduce costs. They also expect Polycom to continuously deliver innovative, intuitive products to market," said Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager of Voice Communications Solutions at Polycom, in the Monday statement.

"Our leadership and legacy in both voice and video communications enables us to develop a truly unique device. The VVX 1500 is the business media phone to combine a superior business-grade VoIP telephone that features our renowned HD Voice with one-touch video and access to key enterprise applications. We are delighted propel collaborative communications to the next level with this ground-breaking device."

The world of telecommunications is constantly changing, striving for continued innovation and progress. BroadSoft and Polycom have long been on the forefront of driving new technologies in this market, building on each other’s strengths to try and achieve dominance.

 

This latest release is a strong response to the growing demand in the business market for solutions that incorporate new technologies to streamline communications. The success of this launch should help to strengthen the already healthy partnership between these companies, creating additional opportunities.