Microsoft's efforts in real-time communications networking, particularly its embrace of industry standards, have wags once again suggesting the software company is on track to becoming a telecommunications powerhouse.
Whether or not the company wants the role may be another question.
Industry experts have said the company's emerging voice over IP services, as well as its work with the Session Initiation Protocol and its strategic partnerships with telecom vendors for collaborative applications, are new developments that could give Microsoft another chance to become a major player in telecom.
Tom Valovic, director of the telephony program at International Data Corp., a Framingham, Mass., market research company, cited a few recent activities on the part of Microsoft that further its interests in this area. Microsoft is increasing its involvement in VoIP, first by embedding SIP into Windows XP. The company is also about to release Office Live Communications Server 2003, which carries real-time data traffic and is built on SIP.
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