Avaya Intros IP Telephony On Demand

Taking a page from IBM’s and HP’s on-demand model, Avaya
announced a new offering today to help service providers sell IP telephony
and contact center applications to businesses for a monthly, usage-based
fee.

The communications software and systems specialist said its Service
Provider Delivered Solutions will help carriers collect recurring revenues
from mid-sized businesses and drive traffic to their networks. The
offering will compete with server vendors, as well as IP telephony and
contact center players.

“We feel we have significant differentiation,” said Denzil Samuels, vice
president and general manager of Avaya’s service provider division. “Some other
vendors may use multiple servers, for instance, whereas we use a single
blade. Also, we offer a unique on-demand pricing model, which delivers an
easier, pay-as-you-go model.”

Other advantages, Samuels said, include the ability to defer capital
spending and deploy applications quickly.

Separately, Avaya announced a three-year deal with Philippine Long Distance
Telephone Company . Under the pact, PLDT will market
Avaya’s new Hosted Contact Center product to small and medium-sized
enterprises in the Philippines.

The carrier is launching a new service called PLDT On-Call, which offers
Avaya-powered contact center capabilities, hosted in PLDT’s data center,
delivered over its network.

Financial terms of the contract between PLDT and Basking Ridge, N.J.-based
Avaya were not disclosed. PLDT has used Avaya products before, but it is a
new customer for the hosted contact center offering, the company said.

Industry watchers believe there’s a market for IP services hosted by
carriers, because it lessens the risk of shifting to IP telephony solutions
and applications.