Nortel, IBM set carrier-grade alliance

IBM and Nortel have inked a deal that will tie the two companies' carrier technologies closer together. As part of the deal, the companies will integrate IBM's WebSphere Presence Server with Nortel's VoIP and FMC applications, and offer the package to customers. In addition, there will be more extensive joint testing and the companies will open a new IMS testing center at Nortel's Richardson, Texas plant. That center is planned to work with IBM's similar facility in France. Nortel, of course, is also tied up with Microsoft's Unified Communications Server. But the Microsoft deal is focused on enterprise networks; the IBM deal is aimed at carriers. Life will get interesting--one presumes--where the two markets overlap.

For more information about the IBM/Nortel carrier-grade alliance:
- read this article from eWeek