Broadsoft will be announcing availability of Web 2.0 APIs next week. The company had announced an open API developer program a couple of months back. The REST interfaces promised to the developers will be released along with the announcement next week. So far Broadsoft has managed to enlist over 300 developers in the program. With the developer friendly Web 2.0 APIs, the company expects that number to increase substantially. With such APIs in place, the ‘Sandbox’ will start working off the web where developers can test their applications.
All the mashups that have been developed so far by the developers are free at the moment. As a platform vendor, Broadsoft has a unique approach to Voice 2.0 (or the mashups or Telco 2.0 etc). It lets end users of its service provider customers choose the applications directly at a Broadsoft web page. Participating service providers at this stage include Simple Signal, CommPartners, Alteva etc. These service providers have opened up their networks to interface with the Broadsoft APIs.
Participating providers at this stage are mostly the tier 2s. Apparently tier 1s involve a longer education process.
The customers of providers like Simple Signal can pick the mashups themselves or the service provider can pre-package a combination. That is the Voice 2.0 delivery model Broadsoft has adopted. [Sometime tomorrow or Monday] I will be posting video interactions with Sylantro and MetaSwitch on the subject of Voice 2.0 delivery models.
Two new mashups that Broadsoft highlights are:
• GotVoice – a vmail to text/email application. BroadWorks users can receive voicemail as text and digital audio via email. The solution can be used with mobile devices and landline phones
• MobileMax – a FMC client that resides on a user’s mobile device and extends the BroadWorks calling functionality to mobile handsets. Allows for use of a single number for mobile devices and deskphones and a single voice mailbox. It routes outgoing calls through a company’s BroadWorks-based phone network for reduced costs. The solution supports over 500 mobile phone devices and easily integrates into any existing PBX, VoIP or other telecommunications systems.