Today we'll highlight a few announcements made at NXTcomm 2008 which wrapped up last week in Las Vegas. The news comes in separate announcements about unified communications advances from Verizon, Microsoft and Nortel, while the next two items come from NextPoint and Taqua (on fixed-mobile convergence).

Verizon Business announced that it is expanding and strengthening its unified communications services internationally. It will now bring the Verizon VoIP portfolio to four more European countries (Spain, Italy, Ireland and Sweden) - bringing the total to 10. The company is also expanding its Integrated Communications Package (ICP), part of the unified communications platform, to 10 countries in Europe in local languages and integrating it with Verizon Conferencing. Finally, Verizon announced it is deploying the newest Microsoft Office Live Meeting platform for Verizon Net Conferencing, including a redesigned interface and enhancing Web-based tools to better manage conference calls.

Microsoft announced the general availability of Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration (HMC) Version 4.5, offering service providers a robust platform targeted to SMBs. The latest version adds new services enabled by Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, providing enhanced collaboration and presence functionality. In addition to the integration of e-mail, fax and telephony into the PC desktop, mobile devices and Web access, HMC 4.5 also enables new VoIP capabilities, including PC-to-PC calling and Web conferencing. A number of partners are currently working to build additional applications on the HMC 4.5 platform, including Nortel, BroadSoft and Sylantro.

Nortel has combined HMC 4.5 with its Communications Server 2000 Internet Protocol multimedia softswitch to deliver a unified communications solution offering real-time communications, that includes as PC-to-PSTN calling, with Microsoft’s collaboration services, such as click-to-call, click-to-conference, missed-call e-mail messages, mobility and telephony presence.

Taqua introduced Taqua MobileWorks as an FMC network solution that extends the existing Taqua 7000™ (T7000) Class 4/5 switch capability to include all functions normally provided by a stand-alone Mobile Switching Center (MSC). Configured for Taqua MobileWorks, the T7000 takes on the added functions including all wireless media gateway; call control; Home Location Register (HLR); Session Management and Subscriber Authentication; Service Adaptation and Protocol Interworking; and Multi-Domain Resource Management for Mobility and Features.

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.