Microsoft hooks up with VoIP phone suppliers

Preparing for the launch of its unified communications system, Office Communicator, Microsoft has worked with nine VoIP phone suppliers to create certified handsets that have been designed to work well with the program.

While 15 phones from Microsoft's partners, including NEC and Samsung, will be unveiled at the company's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Los Angeles, it is also planning a qualification system to allow other manufacturers to meet the requirements.

"We're looking to ignite partner innovation to bring software economics to what has been proprietary," Eric Swift, senior director of unified communications product management for Microsoft, told PC Advisor.

The certification will require that handsets include wideband audio support and accept a wide range of VoIP codecs, as well as meeting a set of user interface requirements.

Microsoft's Office Communicator is currently in beta, but a full version will be released to the public later this year.

It intends to create a standard software solution that brings together email, instant messaging, VoIP and video conferencing – taking the improvements made to old programmes like Outlook one step further.