Two announcements from Microsoft this morning show the company is gaining traction among service providers for its Connected Services Framework and its Telco 2.0 initiative.

In the U.S., AT&T and Microsoft announced the service provider is now offering AT&T Live Meeting, a hosted Web-conferencing service that uses Microsoft CSF, the server-based system that uses a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web-services interfaces. Businesses can use AT&T Live meeting to do real-time collaboration from any Web-connected personal computer and a telephone. AT&T Live Meeting becomes the latest offering in the AT&T Collaboration portfolio and builds on the global strategic alliance that the company announced with Microsoft.

At the 3GSM conference in Barcelona, Spain, BT and Microsoft announced a series of competitions based on Microsoft’s Connected Services Sandbox, launched last December as an environment in which independent software developers, telecommunications service providers and others can test new services which combine capabilities.

The competition series is intended to promote development of innovative new services by rewarding software developers with monetary prizes of up to $25,000.

“The Web world and the telecommunications industry have the potential to complement each other in powerful ways,” said Michael O'Hara, general manager for the Communications Sector at Microsoft, in a prepared statement. “By embracing the principles of Web 2.0 and leveraging the significant customer relationships and assets they already have in place, operators have the opportunity to redefine the models for doing business. In the new Telco 2.0 environment, operators will be able to offer hundreds, if not thousands, of new services that enable them to target specific customer segments, reduce 'churn' and drive new revenues. We believe the Connected Services Sandbox will play a critical role in making Telco 2.0 a reality.”

The AT&T Live Meeting will use Microsoft Office Live Meeting and AT&T’s audio-conferencing services, including VoIP and TDM-based services. AT&T will provide tools that let users customize meetings. In addition, users can access Microsoft’s suite of Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more. AT&T has built security into the Web conferencing service as well.