Basking Ridge, N.J. and Nokia Connection 2005, Helsinki, Finland - Avaya (NYSE: AV) and Nokia today announced the next phase of their strategic collaboration to jointly address the emerging market for enterprise Fixed to Mobile Convergence (FMC) voice solutions based on open industry standards.

 

Enterprise FMC solutions integrate mobile and fixed line networks, providing enterprise telephony services to mobile workers regardless of their location, access technology, and communications device, making it easier for employees to collaborate and respond rapidly to customers in a multi-vendor, standards-based environment.

 

The offering from the companies will include a dual-mode device with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) capabilities that can make and receive calls over both mobile and wireless local area networks (WLAN), both on and off a company campus.  The device can be equipped with an Avaya mobile application, enabling Nokia phone users to access Avaya Communication Manager-based enterprise telephony capabilities.  Avaya Communication Manager is Avaya's flagship IP telephony software, part of the Avaya MultiVantage(TM) Communications Applications suite. 

 

Avaya is the first enterprise vendor to build and deploy fixed to mobile convergence systems and applications, integrating fixed line and mobile phones, as well as spanning the wireless local and wide area networks. Bringing Avaya and Nokia together creates one of the world's leading fixed - mobile convergence solutions.

 

Currently, FMC solutions use voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to enable assisted handoff of calls - and call features - across wireline, including Wi-Fi or 802.11, and wireless (cellular) networks.  The alliance will deliver solutions that combine the ubiquity, portability and ease-of-use of mobile devices from Nokia with the robust enterprise telephony features and functions from Avaya to increase the productivity of mobile workers and reduce the total cost of mobile communications for the enterprise.

 

"Nokia is working with Avaya, a leader in enterprise telephony and mobility to extend voice communications to mobile workers who want to use a single Nokia device to access either mobile or WiFi networks while retaining enterprise control and PBX functionality," said Jaakko Olkkonen, Nokia's general manager of Enterprise Voice Solutions.

 

"The Avaya application for Nokia devices will allow users to enjoy the convenience of one business number and one voice mailbox, and provide the ability to route mobile calls to enterprise IP networks, for better cost control and streamlined management. This is a premier alliance that will bring a host of new features to mobile workers and we are excited about deploying the first phase of these solutions today."

 

According to Phillip Redman, research vice president for Gartner, "Convergence in the enterprise is happening rapidly today on both the wired and wireless LAN, reducing network and device costs and driving new capabilities for voice and data access across wired and wireless networks."

 

Avaya will sell the mobile application as part of its IP telephony portfolio through its enterprise channels; Nokia will sell the solution through its operator and other channels. Both companies are investing research, development and marketing resources to realise the enterprise fixed mobile convergence market.

 

"More than 50% of employees conduct business away from the office, and voice is a primary business application for these mobile workers," said Geoffrey Baird, Avaya vice-president and general manager, Communication Appliances Division.   "Avaya and Nokia are collaborating to provide mobile workers with simple-to-use, intuitive access to enterprise telephony services while helping enterprises overcome the hurdle of separate fixed and mobile infrastructures for improved control and productivity and lower communication costs.  These applications are available now in trials and are being deployed by customers globally.  It's another example of intelligent communications at work, extending the enterprise to the multi-location workplace." 

 

Customers trialing Avaya Communication Manager software on Nokia Series 60 phones

 

Earlier this year, Avaya announced it would deliver advanced mobility capabilities powered by its MultiVantage software to the Nokia-developed Series 60 Platform. The delivery of this client application transforms these mobile devices into fully functional business phones for mobile users.  The Platform, developed by Nokia, is the world's leading smartphone platform, with millions of devices already on the market.  Mobile trials of the solution have begun globally.  The client application is expected to be available later this summer.

 

"We recently planned to introduce VoIP technologies, including the migration of a million desk phones from the public administration to IP mode over three years," said Emilio Frezza, of CNIPA, the Italian National Centre for Information Technologies in Public Administration. "We are enthusiastic about the possibility of collaborating with Nokia and Avaya to provide access to mobility services in public administration facilities in our headquarters in Rome using WLAN and GSM dual-mode technologies to provide mobile access to PBX services and to reduce costs."

 

"St. George is excited to be the first in Asia Pacific to trial the converged Avaya and Nokia solution," said Paul Bristow, executive manager, IT Network Services, St. George Bank. "We look forward to assessing its functionality, usability and potential to increase the productivity and efficiency of our workforce."

 

To access press materials, please visit www.avaya.com/media

 

Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than one million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®. Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet Protocol telephony systems and communications software applications and services.  Avaya is also a pioneer and leader in the enterprise fixed mobile convergence with hundreds of thousands of cusomters using extension to cellular capability of Avaya Communicaiton Manager every day.

 

Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business applications - and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services - Avaya helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior business results. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.com

 

Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations. www.nokia.com.

 

 

For more information, please contact:

 

Avaya

Mary Thiele                            

Tel. 908-953-6152                

Email: mthiele@avaya.com  

 

Avaya

Daniel Bausor

Tel. +44 (0) 1483 308992

Email: dbausor@avaya.com

 

Nokia

Communications

Tel. +358 7180 34900

Email: press.office@nokia.com

 

Americas

Tel. +1 972 894 4573

communication.corp@nokia.com

 

APAC

Tel +65 6723 2323

communications.apac@nokia.com

 

 

 

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