Cisco appeals Microsoft-Skype deal over lock-in fears
The videoconferencing firm says Microsoft's plans to integrate Skype with its Lync Enterprise Communications Platform could 'lock in businesses' to a closed platform
Cisco has appealed against the European Commission's approval of Microsoft's Skype takeover, saying it should have come with a demand that Microsoft and Skype do not lock their customers into a closed platform.
"Cisco does not oppose the merger, but believes the European
Commission should have placed conditions that would ensure greater
standards-based interoperability, to avoid any one company from being
able to seek to control the future of video communications," Cisco
TelePresence chief Marthin De Beer said in a blog
post.
The VoIP provider Messagenet has joined Cisco in making its appeal
to the General Court of the European Union, De Beer said.
De Beer highlighted Microsoft's
plan to integrate Skype with its Lync Enterprise Communications
Platform, and suggested that this "could lock in businesses who want
to reach Skype's 700 million account holders to a Microsoft-only
platform".
"Imagine how difficult it would be if you were limited to calling
people who only use the same carrier, or if your phone could only call
certain brands and not others. Cisco wants to avoid this future for
video communications," he explained.
Open standards push
Cisco is the biggest player in the corporate videoconferencing
market with its TelePresence line of services and high-end equipment.
The company began an open-standards push two years ago, when it released
the TelePresence Interoperability Protocol (TIP) so that
businesses could make video calls with TelePresence kit on one side
and equipment from a rival on the other.
When vendors implement their own protocols and selectively interoperate, they push the burden of interoperability to the customer.
– Marthin De Beer
When Cisco
bought Tandberg in April 2010, the International Multimedia
Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC) took over the protocol's
licensing. Since then, the list of companies participating in the
open-standards scheme has grown to include HP, Polycom, Vidyo,
Informata, Lifesize, Radvision and AT&T.
However, that list does not include Microsoft or its new
subsidiary, Skype. De Beer said on Wednesday that the
videoconferencing industry should "rally around open standards...
defined by non-partisan governing bodies".
"When vendors implement their own protocols and selectively
interoperate, they push the burden of interoperability to the
customer," De Beer said. "We respectfully request that the General
Court act on our concerns and for the European Commission to ensure
the proper protections are put in place to encourage innovation and a
competitive marketplace."
According to ZDNet UK sister site ZDNet.com, Microsoft has retorted
by saying the Commission's pre-approval investigation had been
"thorough", and had included Cisco's participation.
"We're confident the Commission's decision will stand up on
appeal," Microsoft said.
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