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Los Angeles - Microsoft Corp announced plans to make a broad push into the business-telephone market, including desktop phones and videoconferencing devices designed by Microsoft and sold by partners, with some available as soon as June 2007.
The plan sets the stage for Microsoft to take on other giants, such as Cisco Systems Inc, Avaya Inc and Nortel Networks Inc, in the industry march to replace traditional phone systems with more flexible and cheaper internet technologies.
Microsoft is looking for a boost in sales of its server software programs, such as exchange and active directory that are already in wide use by companies, through plans under its "unified communications" initiative.
Software programs, made by Microsoft and others, will link phones to computers so that they can handle voice functions, such as making a phone call and receiving voice mail.
Microsoft announced partnerships with equipment makers Polycom Inc, the Korean-Canadian joint-venture LG-Nortel Co and Thomson Telecom, of Australia, to make and sell Microsoft-designed internet phones by June next year.
Other hardware partners include Motorola Inc, Samsung Electronics Co, Plantronics Inc, Tatung Co, Logitech International SA and Siemens AG, which have agreed to make conferencing equipment, mobile phones or computers that are designed to use the Microsoft communications software.
The handsets are designed to work with employee PCs and connect to a company network, making it possible to, for example, call a person on the phone by clicking their name in a Microsoft application, such as Word or Outlook.
Microsoft also announced a videoconferencing device called RoundTable, which automatically swivels to train a camera on each person who starts speaking.