Audio conferencing vendor Vapps announced today it has formed a strategic partnership with WebDialogs to integrate WebDialogs’ Web conferencing technology into Vapps’ CB1000 audio conferencing platform. The combination will allow carriers to offer collaborative voice and data conferencing service simultaneously over the public network as well as IP networks.

Simultaneously, the companies are trying to kick-start carriers’ Web conferencing services. About 80% of all traffic in the Web conference market currently is being generated by enterprises using in-house software from vendors such as Microsoft (NetMeeting) and Webex.

“Despite the fact that they’ve been selling Web conferencing services for a long time, there are very few that are doing anywhere near 10% of their business in Web conferencing,” said Lou Guercia, CEO of WebDialogs.

Packaging and technology has been a big issue, according to Ben Lilienthal, CEO of Vapps.

“The tools and the applications that the smaller carriers need to compete have not been available,” he said.

The combination of the two companies’ will give CB1000 the enhancement of WebDialogs’ WebInterpoint architecture, which will let end users share documents, presentations, Web content and applications online and in real-time.

“Our objective was to provide the features that the average conference call user would need, but deliver it with an ease of use that would get them to use it,” Guercia said.