Alcatel-Lucent extends unified comms platform

Alcatel-Lucent has unveiled the all-in-one OmniTouch 8400 Instant Communications Suite

Networking firm Alcatel-Lucent has unveiled a new all-in-one unified communications (UC) suite designed to expand support for mobile devices and enhance the user experience.

The company has rebranded its UC products into the all-in-one OmniTouch 8400 Instant Communications Suite, bringing together standalone products for telephony, PBX-agnostic messaging and one-number services using IP-based session initiation protocol, fax services, collaboration/conferencing, mobility and XML web services.

The suite also includes a range of new features, such as advanced support for mobile devices, the integration of high-definition video for presentations and videoconferencing, and advanced voice messaging services.

Alcatel-Lucent will be selling each of these products separately, or as an all-in-one package.

"The four core assets of any company are knowledge, people, processes and the network," said Patrick Thorel, director of solution management at Alcatel-Lucent. "The evolution of UC has been towards enhancing the network to bring together processes, people and knowledge."

Thorel claimed that the suite will simplify business communications and collaboration, thereby increasing productivity and customer satisfaction.

"Companies are focusing heavily on cost reduction, and this can be achieved through centralisation. This is not a new concept, but actually implementing it can often be very complicated." he said.

"Another key trend is around travel reduction, and a way to reduce travel is to enable mobile users with great collaboration tools and to recreate a working environment wherever they are."

The new suite forms part of Alcatel-Lucent's push toward the dynamic enterprise that it outlined during the company's annual forum in Paris this week.

As well as offering new features on mobile devices and desktops, the new Instant Communications Suite is built on an open, Linux-based architecture, allowing it to be more easily integrated into existing business applications and networking systems.

The new My Instant Communicator Mobile application, sold in the package or as a standalone product, supports the majority of today's smartphones and enterprise feature phones, and includes full support for presence, instant messaging, comprehensive directory search, call log and dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi connectivity.