IP Unity Launches Three-Phase Roadmap, Enhances Mereon Unified Messaging and Conferencing Applications, and Launches Mereon 3000 Media Server

CHICAGO, Ill. - IP Unity delivered a multiphase roadmap for IMS compliance. Completion of this roadmap by mid-2006 is designed to turn IP Unity's vision of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture into a reality for service portability, applications delivery and service personalization.

The company's new chief technology officer, Dr. Keith Bhatia, announced his company's progressive roadmap for delivery of IMS functionality across the company's suite of Mereon Media Server and Application Server products. The first phase, effective immediately and concurrent to IP Unity's new 3.0 software release, enables the Mereon Media Server platform to perform Media Resource Function (MRF) and allows existing Mereon cable and fixed line customers to benefit from the media and fixed mobile convergence functions possible with the IMS architecture.

IP Unity's second IMS phase, in third quarter of 2005, will transform the platform into an application server within the IMS environment. It will deliver a software development kit (SDK) and an ISC interface, which encompasses 3GPP specified standards for SIP signaling as well as other SIP extensions. The enhanced Application Server will help IP Unity's partners who build prepaid and other call control applications on its platform to transition to IMS architectures.

In early 2006, the third phase will add IPv6 to the pre-existing IPv4 addressing protocol on the same platform, as well as further security enhancements. It will also provide IMS-compliant enhancements to IP Unity's core applications of voice mail, unified messaging, audio conferencing and videomail/ video-conferencing. This phase will also initiate IP Unity's use of ATCA architecture, deliver API's based on XML and a service execution engine. It will also include interoperability with IP Unity partners on the applications-layer HSS database and SCIM functions, as well as the switching-layer CSCF function.

IP Unity launched Mereon 3.0, a host of upgrades and enhancements to the messaging, applications server and conferencing applications software on its Mereon 6000 Media Server.

Mereon 3.0 applications now deliver features including personalized availability, speech recognition, GUI-based click-to-dial and click-to-conference, MM-3 message integration, conferencing scalability to 1500 simultaneous participants and access options and legacy messaging feature integration. These upgrades will be generally available early third quarter of 2005.

IP Unity has enhanced the Mereon Unified Messaging, Conferencing and Applications Server software functionality to include:

• One-stop message access and message portability: All messages (email, voicemail, faxes) available via graphical and telephone user interfaces (GUI and TUI) as well as Web mail; message delivery to any phone or MMS delivery device, consolidation of mailboxes and advanced message notification
• Personalized availability features: Find Me - Follow Me, automated speech recognition for voice navigation, privacy screening functionality
• "Click-to" Functionality: Click-to-Dial enables outdial from a PC-based address book, and Click-to-Conference enables Web/audio conferencing with multiple parties from a PC-based address book
• Celebrity Greetings: Customized greetings, uploadable from a Web portal, API or TUI
• Message Application Flexibility: Listen-only mailbox configuration for broadcast to closed user groups, information distribution, scheduled notification
• Legacy Platform Integration: AMIS-A and VPIM 2.0 support for inter-networking to legacy voicemail systems, emulation of embedded voicemail menus, administrative functions, integration of legacy message stores, text-to-speech enhancements and fraud prevention features
• Web and Audio Conferencing Scalability: Simultaneous users up to 1500 callers on a Web/audio conference bridge, voting and privacy features, integration with MS Windows, Macintosh and UNIX platforms

IP Unity's Mereon Media Server has been deployed in 30 countries for messaging, conferencing, IVR, announcements, prepaid and debit enhanced services. IP Unity has been selected for very large-scale service rollouts by leading RBOCs, top-tier cable operators and influential, high-growth international wireless and incumbent carriers.

"Application servers and media servers play a key role in bringing much sought-after new services to market -- also the chief driver for carrier adoption of VoIP," said Kevin Mitchell, directing analyst, service provider voice and data, Infonetics Research. "Messaging and conferencing are two highly-demanded feature sets by carriers and are key building blocks for services. End-users have shown a willingness to pay for these services. This new feature set shows that IP Unity continues to enhance their offerings in this critical market segment."

IP Unity launched a new Media Server solution targeting enterprise and carriers with smaller customer bases. It is branded the IP Unity Mereon 3000 Media Server.

Based on IP Unity's media server architecture, the Mereon 3000 platform runs all of the software available on the company's Mereon 6000 Media Server, and works with the Mereon Application Server, as well. The platform features the following:

• Hardware scalable from 100 to 400 ports
• Supports up to 400 channels and 400 active/300 passive conferencing, 16 video participants
• Supports protocols, including SIP, VoiceXML 2.0. HTTP, PacketCable, MGCP, Megaco, H.263/264 and MPEG 4
• Configurable as either simplex or duplex within a 4RU shelf
• Supports 13 languages and all IP Unity applications

IP Unity's Mereon Media Servers and Mereon Application Servers have been deployed in 30 countries for messaging, conferencing, IVR, announcements, prepaid and debit enhanced services.