UC(Unified Communications) and Unified Communications and Collaborations ( UC&C )


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.

Unified Communications (1)
Unified Communications

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
  •  Presence: IP phone, desktop clients, and call connectors
  •  Cloud / Virtualization : Network Provisioning , Virtualized Applications
  •  Mobility: Allows users to access UC&C services from any device, anywhere, and at any time.
  •  Integration with other business tools: CRM, ERP, and management tools.
  •  Security and compliance: Ensures that all communication and collaboration is secure and compliant with industry regulations and standards.

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 .

uc

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

  1. Register with your credentials to explore new functionalities and VAS ( Value added Services).
  2. Make a Audio/Video call or chat with a friend- all at once with one click ( no bridge setup )
  3. Send and receive voicemails seamlessly.
  4. Send offline messages to your friends on Social networks (facebook, gmail, or yahoo) with just a click.
  5. 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.
  6. Oauth with Facebook and gmail enables logging in through thord party credentials too.
  7. 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 -premiseCloud Based
Mostly in SaaS nature ( software as a service )

– Hosted by the consumer / business unit itself
more customizability and flexibility
more investment and maintenance

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 .

Unified Communications

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 .

SRS TFX service suite (2)
SRS TFX service suite
SRS TFX service suite (1)

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

  1. Context Driven + Real Time Analytics
  2. Monitization by cross vertical integration
  3. Integration with IOT
  4. Automation for Billing and Operation – OSS/BSS
  5. Machine Learning
  6. 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.


5 thoughts on “UC(Unified Communications) and Unified Communications and Collaborations ( UC&C )

  1. 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

  2. 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..

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