- What is Unified Communication ?
- What is Unified communication and Collaboration ?
- Types of UCC solutions
- On-premise
- Cloud-Based
- Device / Platform Agnostic
- UC&C + CRM
- SME adopt UCC solutions
- Future of UCC
The rapidly changing scene of telecoms operations brings to light many challenges faced by telcos and service providers as they cater to the end-users, with swift and innovative services, while at the same time keeping surcharge operational costs at bay. Today a customer(B2B) expects converged orchestrated harmonized applications bringing call control and customizing features, all under one roof.
What is Unified Communication ?
Unified Communications solutions bring together voice, messaging, video, and desktop applications to enable companies to quickly adapt to market changes, increase productivity, improve competitive advantage and deliver a rich-media experience across any work space.
Components of Unified Communications
The latest UCC solutions are based on open standards such as SIMPLE/XMPP protocols or socket.io and REST webservices
- Communications: Voice, data, and video
- Messaging: Voice, email, video, and IM
- Conferencing: Online, audio, and video
- Application integration: Microsoft Office and CRM
- Presence: IP phone, desktop clients, and call connectors
- Common user experience: Desktop, phone, and mobility
- Cloud / Virtualization Network Provisioning , Virtualized Applications
Video feature of UCC further has many aspects
- Codecs : H323,H264,vp8/vp9 for video
- Scalable Video Coding (SVC)
- USecase : Call , conference , Broadcasting , Livestreaming
Audio aspects
- Codecs like OPUS, AAC
- Service like : voice Mail , IVR , auto attendant with Voice XML
What is Unified communication and Collaboration ?
Currently the mode of communication across various users differs such as emails , SMS, VOIP call , GSM call, message on other platform etc .These random forms of communication cannot be tracked thus hamper fast decision making .
Features
- Voice and Video call support
- Video conferencing up to 5 participants
- Supplementary service support ( Call Hold, Call Wait)
- Support orientation/ rotation changes
- Tabular layout
- SIP Preconditions
- Integrate existing VAS and legacy services
- IR.92/IR.94 support and IMS network Integration
- User Capability exchange
- UCS for Presence capabilities
- Subscription and Publish during Login and Logout
- Multiple Registerations
- Device switching
- Same MSISDN can be registered with Multiple devices
- Configured with multiple accounts to receive and send messages.
- Message over IP
- Support for RCS 5.1 specific features (enhanced messaging/phonebook/call)
- Message synchronization for all client’s registered UA
- Scrollable list in chat window
- Share files and chat at the same message box format
- Visual Voice Mail
- Cloud Address Book
- Address Book synchronization
- Synchronized contacts list
- Edit Contacts and sync with all devices
- Dialing from contacts, call logs
- Geo location with map
- Share your location with others as well as view theirs on a single map.
Additional Features
- Register with your credentials to explore new functionalities and VAS ( Value added Services).
- Make a Audio/Video call or chat with a friend- all at once with one click ( no bridge setup )
- Send and receive voicemails seamlessly.
- Send offline messages to your friends on Social networks (facebook, gmail, or yahoo) with just a click.
- Enhancement in GUI of the WebRTC client for better interaction with the user by adding Message Box, Drop down list on Call Control Box to initiate call directly.
- Oauth with Facebook and gmail enables logging in through thord party credentials too.
- Notifications for voicemails as per calendar.
Challenges with Unified Communications
- Adds complexity in to already complex infrastructure
- Lack of standardization
- Organization Infrastructure and Bandwidth Limitations
- Integration of services from different application platforms like emails
- migrating existing communication infrastructure like desk phones
- Interfacing of telephony applications with Business Applications such as CRMs
Types of UCC solutions
There exists broadly two types of UC&C solution – On-premise and cloud based . The fundamental difference is the location of the backend infrastructure supporting the communication system . Some more differences are outlined in table below:
| On -premise | Cloud Based |
| Mostly in SaaS nature ( software as a service ) – Hosted by the consumer / business unit itself | Service provider offers his infrastructure to the consumer as a service bills monthly / yearly etc – quick setup – lower upfront payment – billing is either per user basis or on consumption . – data is synced to cloud servers for storage and can be fetched from there when required such as cloud synced Call-logs or contact-book |
Device / Platform Agnostic
The UCC clients are designed keeping mobility in mind . Thus UC Solutions are made compatible with online provisioning / portal system , native mobile apps like android /ios , Desktop app for linux, mac, windows etc .
UC&C + CRM
UC&C models integrates with Enterprise and Customer Relation Management Systems (CRM). Therefore provides unified messaging across teamspace/workspace/workflow management systems . It is trackable and can be used for realtime notification and analytics .
This directly ensures boost in sales and profitability by quick communication between customers / partners / eco-system / sales-rep / developers / field agents and others part of the communication system.
SME adopt UCC solutions
SME ( Small and Medium Enterprises) are first to adopt UC&C due to absence of already setup traditional communication infrastructure like PSTN lines , desktop phones , special handsets etc .
Factors that enable SMEs to adopt UC&C solution much faster and readily. :
- quick setup
- low budget of UC&C solutions
- BYOD ( Bring your Own Device ) to work
The advantages
- (+) All information is stored in one place therefore easier to retrieve
- (+) Increased Productivity
- (+) Greater flexibility
- (+) Faster Response and Information delivery
Future of UCC
- Context Driven + Real Time Analytics
- Monitization by cross vertical integration
- Integration with IOT
- Automation for Billing and Operation – OSS/BSS
- Machine Learning
- Big Data Management
In conclusion UC&C is aimed at providing inter operable communications with ubiquitous coverage for applications and devices such as desktops , IP phones , smartphones, smart watches , kisosk etc. It means web, native apps and IP phones having the ability to create, share and participate in integrated multimedia ( like audio, video , desktop, files ) collaboration.
Telecom R & D 
Unified Communication has taken a altoget5her different pitch now , with merging up of all services legacy or IP . I see you have made the diagrams yourself , since simmilar pictures are not to be found anywhere on internet . Good work
Thank you . Yes the diagrams are mine .
I read your blog post . I am still confused about Unified Communication … 😦
Hello Stan , I am terribly sorry for my late reply . Unified Communications is very easy subject . Think of all the services like messaging , calling , conferencing scattered over various applications , so if you are on call and you decide to share a file you may have to goto a separate email client and then mail your file or goto a messaging service and type in the contents etc . However in case of UC ( Unified Communications ) everything you need to communicate effectively are under one application itself . So you can call , conference , do messaging , send files without having to change your application..
Quality work with the infographics!