This sounds like a pretty uninspired product. Why don't they just use Portico? Was GTE one of the carriers mentioned in trials? Now, GTE will be merging with BellAtlantic, but they will be selling off a lot of their Wireless holdings.
Regards, Mark
GTE Takes A Unified Message
By Louis Trager
June 7, 1999 7:33 AM ET
GTE is announcing today the first wholesale unified messaging service to be offered widely by a major company.
The service - making e-mail, faxes and phone messages accessible by phone or computer - will be the first to offer flat monthly rates with toll-free local access numbers, instead of adding fees based on usage of an "800" number, the company said. It will prioritize messages uniquely by communications medium - say, voice-mail ahead of e-mail, with faxes last.
The carrier's Internet Protocol Telecom unit is making GTE Unified Messaging available to Internet service providers wishing to cut customer defections and to supply services that generate higher profit margins than commodity data access. "It's a natural extension of e-mail, so that's why it's a natural fit for ISPs," Product Manager Roger Smith said.
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