Macromedia, HP team on telecom services
Under the agreement, announced Tuesday, the duo is providing tools meant to help carriers develop next-generation communications applications and services based on Macromedia's Flash authoring software and HP's service delivery platform, or SDP.
The companies contend that combining Flash with HP's telecommunications architecture software will give carriers the ability to create numerous types of services, including collaboration tools built around Macromedia's Breeze technology.
Because SDP is designed around a service-oriented architecture, or SOA, the companies said that telecommunications companies will be able to use some technologies already available in their networks to create new Flash applications via Web services. Macromedia and HP did not name any carrier partners or specific applications already utilizing their integrated technologies, but said that the tools will allow for development of everything from corporate collaboration systems to mobile gaming services.
Executives from the two companies said that the combined package will give carriers the ability to create new services without undertaking major network renovations. By using Web services to build applications, the system delivers many of the capabilities promised by newer communications infrastructure technologies, they said.
"Even in today's networks, we can deliver really compelling collaboration services without demanding a full Internet Protocol network underneath to make it work," said Eric Weiss, vice president of telecommunications solutions at Macromedia. "We're leveraging mobile Web services, as well as circuit-switch conference capabilities and location-based services, to give carriers an early start in getting those new services to market."
HP said that its SDP offering will provide carriers with documented reference architecture for designing and delivering the new Flash applications. The first tool to be integrated with the HP software will be Breeze, Macromedia's Web-conferencing product.
"SDP sits on top of core network infrastructure and manages services creation, delivery and management, in this case integrating with Flash for end-to-end solutions," said Peter Dragunas, director of network domain solutions at HP. "We've previously focused on the core network, but with this agreement we'll be able to deliver services all the way to the device."
The companies are offering a preview of the type of service made available through the partnership at Macromedia's Web site.