Polycom to benefit from Microsoft codec license

Communications provider Polycom has announced that it will be able to make a range of its technology products more compatible with Microsoft software packages, following news of a licensing agreement between the two companies.

Polycom will now have access to the RT Audio Codec - an encryption method that converts analogue sounds into secure digital packets, which can then be transmitted and decoded back into audible sound.

Senior vice president and general manager of voice communications for Polycom, Sunil Bhalla, said that the agreement would enable a number of their products to be used in conjunction with Microsoft's Office Communications Server 2007.

He added: "RT Audio Codec will help ensure interoperability with a range of Microsoft-compatible products, and together with Polycom technologies will deliver a more secure, reliable and superior voice experience to users."

Microsoft meanwhile said its decision to make the codec available to Polycom was a sign of the technology industry's validation of their software.

The RT Audio Codec is a sub-band coder that uses a single band for frequencies of eight KHz and multiple-bands for larger frequencies. It is especially well suited to communications technologies such as media conferencing and VoIP solutions.