Nortel Networks and Microsoft are redoubling their efforts to bring collaborative, real-time capabilities to the businesses market through an expanded strategic relationship that advances the use of voice call control through the business desktop.

The companies will integrate Microsoft’s Office Communicator 2005 and Office Live Communication Server with Nortel's SIP-based communications solution, the Communication Server 1000. The converged solution will provide access to critical applications such as Unified Messaging, Contact Center and Self Service via the Nortel Applications Center.

“Everything involved in this interworking is around SIP,” said Ingrid Tremblay, portfolio marketing for enterprise multimedia systems at Nortel. “Part of our strategy within Nortel is about embracing SIP and driving that capability and ensuring we adhere to and develop an open interface.”

The companies are currently in beta trials with an integrated product and expect to have solutions generally available by the end of the year.

Malcolm Collins, president of enterprise networks at Nortel, said in a statement that the company expects the new solution to create a world of new opportunities for businesses by providing users with the convenience and flexibility to collaborate through the most effective means available.

Using Microsoft’s PC-based client with Nortel’s desktop phone, users can initiate telephone calls through enterprise phones directly from Communicator 2005. Pop-up notifications will announce incoming calls and access phone features and users will be able to forward incoming calls automatically based on location.

Other features of the combined solutions will include: twin desk phones that allow desktop phone numbers to ring and be answered by the Communicator and multimedia communications that take advantage of voice, instant messaging, presence, data sharing, and video.

“Microsoft is seemingly on the desktop today and is very strong in both North America and Europe. So it makes business sense to have tight integration with both our voice applications and other communications applications like our contact center, self-services and collaboration applications like conferencing,” Tremblay said.

Nortel has deployed more than 50 million enterprise telephony lines and 50 million Ethernet ports. The company expects sales leads for the integrated applications to come from both Nortel and Microsoft. However, an even larger percentage of sales is expected from system integrators.

“[System integrators] will give us the largest pull because they really have the ability and understanding of multiple formats [such as] the desktop, telephony services and multimedia application integration,” Tremblay said.

The solutions will be customer premises-based, but shows promise for hosted environments. Tremblay said carriers she has talked to believe there is an opportunity within the carrier-hosted perspective. “It’s a watch-this-space kind of thing,” she said.