Microsoft Corp. today announced the Communications Sector Alliance Program (CSAP), an initiative created to enable service providers to promote and develop new customer solutions. The program, which is offered through the Microsoft® Partner Solutions Center (MPSC), is designed to help communications companies with a strong commitment to Microsoft technologies maintain their industry leadership and foster further innovation by taking advantage of the most advanced and up-to-date development and testing facilities at Microsoft.

CSAP is designed for service provider partners that are developing or offering Microsoft-based solutions or hosted service offerings. It gives CSAP partners a unique opportunity to work closely with key Microsoft teams to help accelerate solutions development. The program builds upon the MPSC’s existing partner community and resources to create a communications-focused ecosystem of network equipment providers, independent software providers, carriers and systems integrators. Bell Canada, Canada’s leading telecommunications provider, and Swisscom Mobile, Switzerland’s largest mobile operator, have already signed up to take advantage of the program.