broadbandIf you are not familiar with super blogger Andy Abramson’s Voice 3.0 Manifesto – I recommend you take a look at an interesting blog post from Alec Saunders’s SquawkBox that crisply captures the premise.  At a high-level, the concept centers on three main tenets – the given being that carriers will survive. Second – they must change, even more than they have, what they offer customers. And lastly – and perhaps most importantly is that they need to see their platform – as just that – a foundation for applications that enhance both business and personal communications. This means it’s time they boost their interest in working with and supporting the third-party developers who bring these applications to market.

The good news is that many providers are already embracing this – not just the newer next-gen service providers– large Tier 1 operators like Orange have been early adopters in this area.

However getting to the next level will take work and several significant commitments on the part of carriers.  First, they must open their networks, then they need to create channels that provide an easy path for developers to connect with them, and lastly, they must make the user experience the top priority.  Let me expand on each point.

Open Carrier Networks — This is a critical requirement.   A carrier network can’t be a platform unless it’s architected as such, obviously.   BroadSoft supports the “carrier is the platform” requirement via the technology leg of the BroadSoft Xtended program.   Fully-documented RESTful APIs built into the core platform allow a BroadWorks-powered service provider to enrich their offer with external applications.

Linking Developers and Service Providers — Linking developers and service providers is also of great importance since very few providers will have the time, resources or interest in developing all of the apps consumers and businesses are demanding. Some providers, like Comcast, are acquiring applications (see their Plaxo acquisition), others have the internal R&D staff to write their own applications, but the reality is that because of limited engineering resources and lack of domain-specific knowledge, most service providers will need to partner with third-party developers to bring apps to market.

BroadSoft supports this ‘meet up’ of service providers and developers through the second and third legs of BroadSoft Xtended – a Developer’s Program that gives developers all the code, documentation, and test beds needed to build innovative apps, and an e-commerce-enabled Marketplace that allows service providers to launch their own apps stores with third-party apps sourced through the Xtended program.

The User Experience — Finally, the user experience is ultimately what drives success…it’s not the technology mash-up.   What BroadSoft brings to the table is not only Xtended-powered integration into the Apps service providers’ customers use every day (Microsoft Office, Salesforce.com, Sametime, and on and on), but also integration into the Devices their customers use every day (video phones, mobile phones, smartphones, IP phones, televisions, and cool new devices like the ‘fourth screen’ by Openpeak shown at Connections).   Our ecosystem, and unique relationships with device vendors, means we’re committed to making sure innovative communications apps aren’t web-only, but are tightly integrated into the myriad of devices used today…to ensure a seamless user experience.

We expanded on these concepts at our executive users’ conference last week, Connections 2009, demonstrating how the integration of Web 2.0 technology, independent developers, and devices result in compelling apps and a unified user experience.   In our coveted Show Me the Apps session, we brought this to life showcasing several innovative solutions, including a new hotel hospitality application from Ingenius and a powerful doctor’s office prescription management application from DiamondPhone. Both are practical examples of the integration that is possible as a result of the Xtended-powered linkage between developers, BroadSoft and service providers.

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