Nortel launches multimedia comms platform

Nortel Networks has unveiled a multimedia communications platform designed to offer collaborative working to enterprise customers.

The Multimedia Communication Server (MCS) 5100 provides secure instant messaging, IP telephony, video calling, presence awareness, instant file transfer and conferencing to desktops or laptops.

The product uses standard protocols such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and H.323, and can be used on a wide range of PBX telephony systems.

The MCS 5100, available in Europe through BT, DeTeWe, Swisscom and KPN, has a list price of $300 per user and is targeted at enterprises with more than 100 employees.

Users can also access the MCS 5100 using broadband internet, wireless hotspots and local area networks while working from home, on the move or in the office.

Nortel claimed that the product could deliver positive return on investment in less than 12 months.

"I don't think that most enterprises realise how many employees are transferring data using instant messaging [IM] like Yahoo," said Mark Thompson, director of product marketing EMEA at Nortel Networks.

"The MCS 5100 offers a secure environment for enterprise instant messaging."

The system does not link to other IM systems such as Microsoft .Net or Yahoo! Mssenger. But it does link with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes contacts databases to speed up communications.

A personal agent also allows users to customise call routing and to set up rules so that individual SIP addresses and contacts can be channelled to different devices via IM, phone or mobile.

For service providers and carriers wanting to host collaboration services, Nortel Networks is providing the MCS 5200, which integrates voice, video, real-time white boarding and people availability tools.