<< (and not surprisingly, both Sun and Microsoft, who several months ago announced a rash of new SS7 platform initiatives) >>
MSFT has been working to push SS7 support into NT Server fora long time, since '94 at least. the argument is that the programmable (NT) server should have all the smarts, not the switching fabric, and that the economies of PC servers can push into and take over the "proprietary" closed-system PBX market. implementing predictive dialing, voice mail, call center, etc. apps on NT, with full access to databases, programming tools, and LAN/intranet integration... it's a pretty compelling story for PBX vendors who have to wrestle with obscure embedded operating systems and crappy dev tools, and it's a great way to broaden the server market for NT and push further into the corporate infrastructure.
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