BroadSoft Announces UC One

BroadSoft has just announced UC One – a comprehensive, open UC platform that combines all of the critical elements a telecommunications service provider (SP) requires to ensure rapid delivery of their UC solutions to the market segments they serve – a core communication platform consisting of network software, cloud services and user experience applications:

• BroadWorks is the core component of the BroadSoft platform. It includes application server software hosted by an (SP) for delivery of integrated call processing, IP PBX and enhanced UC services
  
  
• BroadCloud is a complementary component offering white label cloud services for a cloud platform hosted by BroadSoft Services and resold by the SP. This cloud-based hosted infrastructure enables an SP to quickly take to market branded UC services and applications
  
  
• BroadTouch is the user experience component offering a suite of intuitive end user applications that provide a unified and familiar experience across both fixed and mobile devices. All BroadTouch applications can be deployed using a unified “one-number” experience for voice, video, and messaging services.

There are four key elements to UC One, each designed specifically to assist SPs address the challenges of bringing a successful offer to market. This includes:

• End User Experience
  
  
• Mobility
  
  
• Openness
  
  
• Go-To-Market

End User Experience and Mobility

The success of the service is dependent on the end user interface. To the user, the quality of experience (QoE) IS the service, and the expectation is that all the communication modes will work seamlessly together. The UC One experience puts the power to communicate in the hands of SP end users, with one familiar interface that connects them to their favorite UC services, from their preferred device. Two BroadTouch apps that get at the essence of QoE are MobileLink and Business Communicator. Users can download these client apps on their existing mobile devices. Utilizing BroadTouch clients and applications, end users will be able to access any of their chosen UC services from a wide range of mobile devices across 2G, 3G or 4G, as well as VoIP-capable 4G LTE and WiMAX networks.

BroadTouch MobileLink is a simple (non-VoIP) client that enables end-users to make and receive calls using their business identity, from their personal smartphones, in essence turning the business user’s personal mobile device into a PBX extension. This allows users to dial and manage calls as they would from their office desk phone, including: tracking calls, picking up business voicemail and managing personal settings. It is supported on BlackBerry, iOS and Android platforms. Business Communicator, on the other hand, is a single app that combines voice, video, IM/P and collaboration into a unified end-user experience on Windows and Mac computers, iOS and Android mobile phones and tablets.

Openness

Based on a combination of open Internet technologies (Xtended Services Interface), a developer community (Xtended Developer Program), and an online marketplace (Xtended Marketplace) where SPs can purchase these applications through an online ecommerce platform, the BroadSoft Xtended program enables SPs to customize their UC offers by integrating with horizontal business process applications and unique vertical applications.

The program includes:

• A web portal for access to information and tools on BroadWorks Representational State Transfer (REST) APIs, which allow resources to be defined and addressed over HTTP with simple XML supporting the integration of BroadWorks voice and video calling functionality with web-based applications and services to create new applications or mashups
  
  
• Sample applications showing how the APIs work and how they integrate with web-based services and other applications
  
  
• Access to a BroadWorks system to test and experiment with new mashup applications
  
  
• Forums to facilitate developer interaction and for BroadSoft to provide answers to questions related to the APIs
  
  
• Information about the BroadWorks management interfaces for billing and service provisioning.

Go-To-Market

Based on best practice experience, BroadSoft has created the Xcelerate online resource available free of charge, to all BroadSoft SPs. Xcelerate offers a range of services, including product definition, market segmentation approaches, sales channel strategy development, sales campaigns and TCO tool kits designed to fully support service provider go-to-market initiatives.

What This Means to You

To Customers: UC One offers a strong value proposition for enabling fixed line, mobile, and cable service providers to deliver UC solutions over IP-based networks. The means UC One’s technological and competitive differentiation comes from the integration of Go-to-Market support with BroadSoft’s application server technology, featuring multi-tenancy, carrier grade reliability and interoperability, coupled with both BroadCloud – enabling SPs to quickly take to market branded UC services and applications – and the BroadTouch suite of intuitive end user applications supporting QoE. 

Communications service providers typically leverage third-party vendor platforms, led by BroadSoft and Cisco in the provision of UCaaS. Genband offers a third alternative that prospective customers might want to compare and contrast prior to buying.

We leave you with one final thought. According to Oppenheimer’s October 19, 2012 view of the Company: “We upgrade BSFT [BroadSoft] to Outperform from Perform and introduce a price target of $44. [The stock is currently selling at $36.11.]… The company, as the leader in a rapidly expanding market, directly benefits from ongoing adoption of voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and unified communications (UC) services. BroadSoft is well positioned to strongly grow revenue/earnings as we see these markets have a long growth trajectory. Moreover, with macro concerns pressuring telco capex, we believe BSFT's offerings are best positioned to weather this as its software has tangible connections to customer revenue.”