Tango Networks announced last week that its Abrazo fixed-mobile convergence product is now interoperable with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Abrazo is designed to connect any mobile phone, through any wireless network, with any PBX and requires a server in both the enterprise and mobile provider's network. The announcement also noted that Tango Networks has now been accepted into the Microsoft Unified Communications Open Interoperability Program. The interoperability test was conducted by tekVizion Labs.

Using Abrazo and Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007, enterprise users can make and receive calls with their mobile phone over the enterprise network, with a single unified communications inbox that now includes both desktop and mobile voicemail. Presence and location information from the mobile network can be shared with OCS 2007 contacts. Abrazo passively monitors mobile devices status (e.g., registered/unregistered, on/off-the-phone, location area, etc.) and provides updates to the OCS 2007 server, thereby extending mobile presence and location information.

In a prepared statement, Alastair Westgarth, president and CEO of Tango Networks said: “Microsoft has successfully extended the power of unified communications to embrace desktop voice communications as part of the enterprise’s overall unified communications strategy and Tango is taking it one step further by enabling enterprises to extend Office Communications Server 2007 to all mobile devices while providing a complete view of end-user availability and location.”

While the interoperability demo is a solid move forward by Tango to improve fixed mobile convergence options as it competes with features from IP PBX suppliers and other FMC features supplied from companies like CounterPath and DiVitas, the solution does have its limits. Rob Arnold, senior analyst, Enterprise Communications at Current Analysis noted that “The solution is certified with OCS as a standalone PBX. Since OCS deployments by enterprises as PBX substitutions or replacements are not yet widespread, deployment of Tango’s solution in OCS accounts where third-party PBXs are present may cause support concerns for customers and partners. That said, Tango and its channel partners should be able to overcome this to benefit from the opportunities in OCS accounts.”

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.