TMCnet's Unified Communication Week in Review

Businesses are becoming more and more ‘virtual,’ which means a business and/or its workers are no longer confined to a physical office or address. Businesses can now eliminate most of its overhead by creating elements that exist online only. Sometimes organizing all of these technologies can be confusing, which lead to the development of unified communications.

This new technology allows for communication tools to be integrated so that both businesses and individuals can manage all their communications in one entity instead of doing it in separate platforms. Basically, it bridges the gap between computer technology and VoIP services.

This week, O2 (News - Alert) Wallet has changed the way to make payments. Mandira Srivastava, TMCnet contributor, reported that the company would now let consumers make transfers to the U.K. by sending a text message.

O2 Wallet is a service that allows consumers to send, receive, and store money in a virtual wallet that can then be used to pay bills, shop online, and complete other financial transactions. The service has expanded to the U.K. allowing for daily transfers of up to 500 Euros.

“O2 Waller delivers the benefits of mobile money to more U.K. consumers than any other product or service currently available,” said James Le Brocq, Managing Director at O2 Money. “With O2 Wallet, it’s easier to transfer money, track expenditure and pay swiftly and securely, all using your mobile. We believe it will transform the way people manage their finances and spend money.”

Read more about O2 digital wallet features here.

Another company hoping to expand its services is Acacia Research (News - Alert) Corporation, which just signed a deal to be the exclusive patent holders of Telecommunication Systems Inc’s TCS’ inter-carrier messaging (ICM) portfolio.

Inter-Carrier Short Messaging System (IC-SMS) allows for subscribers to send messages to one another with only a telephone number. In short, it’s the ability users have to send text messages to one another via their mobile device.

“This alliance is an important step in our plan to monetize the company’s intellectual property,” said Maurice B. Tose, TCS chairman, CEO and president, in a statement. “Acacia Research is a premiere patent licensing company; and we believe that their scale, specialized expertise, and track record indicate that this alliance will enable us to efficiently optimize our return on the company’s investment in these patents.”

Read the full report on TMCnet’s site.

Applied Global Technologies (News - Alert) (AGT), a leader in Unified Communications, has also announced this week that it signed an agreement to partner up with Cartel Communications Systems (News - Alert), a Canadian-based company that specializes in wireless communication, according to a recent report from TMCnet contributor, Rahul Arora.

The new agreement will take AGT’s ENCORE UC Video Platform and integrate it with Cartel’s FATHOM HD to create a brand new level of interoperability between devices.

“Following recent partnership agreements that strengthen our presence in Europe and Asia, our agreement with Cartel extends our global presence further with the ability to deliver mobile video technologies in Canada,” said Bob Wood, executive vice president of global sales and marketing at AGT.

Read the details of the full agreement here.

Lastly, Mandira Srivastava, TMCnet contributor, reported that Blue Door Networks is an official Authorized Level Polycom (News - Alert) Choice Partner of Polycom Inc., whose main objective is to help enterprise companies’ new information technology solutions.

“In the current economy, companies choose Polycom UC solutions because they wish to cut the time, costs, and carbon emissions associated with gathering the right people in one place to solve the problems,” said Lee Koepping, chief technology officer at Blue Door Networks. “Instead of traveling, virtual teams use Polycom solutions to easily and quickly collaborate face-to-face wherever they are and focus resources, time and energy on addressing business challenges.”

Ron Myers, senior vice president of Global Channels at Polycom, said this new alliance has created a world-class team that customers will be confident in. “By collaborating with Polycom as an Authorised Level Choice Partner, Blue Door Networks can deliver UC solutions that power greater productivity and smarter conversations, transforming lives and businesses in the process.”

Read more about the new deal here.