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Microsoft News at Computer Telephony Expo Spring '99 Frequently Asked Questions

What is Microsoft's telephony strategy?
Microsoft's telephony strategy is to provide the best software platform for a variety of communications solutions. Windows has now become the most important operating system for computer telephony, as shown by the strong industry momentum. Microsoft is committed to the ongoing improvements and expansion of our platform support for telephony and other converged communications solutions with Windows and other Microsoft products. Microsoft products and platforms are in use today in a variety of call center, interactive voice response, unified messaging, voice mail, and other telephony/voice/fax solutions. As the worlds of traditional voice telephony and data networking converge, Microsoft's intent is to have Windows be the best software platform to enable this convergence. The Windows Telephony Applications Programming Interface (TAPI) is an important part of Microsoft's telephony strategy because it helps foster open communications by allowing telephony-enabled software written by one vendor to work with telephony hardware made by another vendor.

What is TAPI?
The Microsoft Windows Telephony Applications Programming Interface (TAPI) is a service within the Windows operating system family products that allows telephony-enabled software written by one vendor to work with telephony hardware made by another vendor. TAPI is supported in Windows CE, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT^® Workstation, and Windows NT Server, and will be included in the forthcoming Windows NT Embedded and Windows 2000 products as those products are released.

What does it mean to say that the Designed for Windows logo program will be extended to include TAPI service providers? How will this benefit customers? How will this benefit ISVs/IHVs?
The Designed for Windows Logo is the customer's assurance that the product they are purchasing has been tested for conformance and interoperability with the Windows operating system(s) specified on the logo. Adding TAPI components to this program will help ensure that telephony components used with Windows will interoperate with the operating system and with other applications, improving the user's experience. This will lead to improved important performance and interoperability benchmarks between products from both IHVs and ISVs, expanding the market opportunities for both.

Why did Microsoft select Genoa Technology to perform the testing and verification for TAPI SPs under the Designed for Windows Logo Program? (Why doesn't Microsoft do this?)
Genoa is a leader in testing technologies and has the facilities, experience, and tools to provide consistent, quality testing of TAPI components. Testing of TAPI components involves a level of complexity beyond the conformance testing performed currently by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Qualification Labs (WHQL), and it was believed that an industry leader such as Genoa could provide the best overall solution. Genoa already provides the most popular and widely used TAPI testing tools to TAPI IHVs and ISVs.

What is Genoa's role in the validation of TAPI Service Providers?
Microsoft has decided to add TAPI service providers (TSPs) to its "Designed for Windows&rdquo logo program, and is finalizing detailed test criteria that will validate consistent behavior across vendors' TSP implementations. Microsoft has selected Genoa as an Authorized Test Center to provide the validation testing services to TSP developers.

What is the scope of the testing that will be done as part of this program?
The validation test criteria for TAPI Service Providers encompass support of the API set, parameter ranges, state transitions, status reporting, and various other tests related to friendly co-existence in the Windows environment.

When will this program start?
The validation test criteria should be complete by the end of March, and Genoa will begin accepting applications for TSP validation testing on April 1, 1999. The actual start of testing will be dependent on the completion of test tools necessary to implement the test criteria.

How long will the testing process take?
We estimate one week will be needed to complete the testing process.

How can I be sure that my TSP will pass validation testing before I submit it to Genoa for testing?
The validation test criteria will be publicly available in the coming weeks, and Genoa will make some pre-validation test tools available at no cost to prospective testing applicants on its Web site.

What will the testing cost?
Firm pricing will not be available until the validation test procedures are finalized.

How do I submit a TSP for testing?
The first step in the process will be to complete a TSP Validation request form, which will be available on the Genoa Web site starting April 1, 1999. You will be contacted by a Genoa representative to schedule the testing of your TSP.

What equipment will I need to provide as part of the testing process?
You will need to provide Genoa with the underlying hardware supported by the TSP. For TSPs that support multiple hardware implementations, one representative implementation must be provided. If testing the TSP requires hardware or special setups that Genoa does not have available, the developer will be required to provide the necessary equipment to complete the validation testing. In some instances, it may be necessary for Genoa personnel to complete the testing at the developers site (additional charges will apply).

What happens if our product fails the testing?
You will receive a test report from Genoa documenting the specific areas in which your TSP failed to meet the validation requirements. A discounted fee schedule will apply if you resubmit your TSP for testing with a relatively short time frame (to be determined).

How are the results of the test handled between my company, Genoa, and Microsoft?
Upon successful completion of the certification process, the following information will be made publicly available: date tested, version of the TSP tested, version of Windows and TAPI components used, and the test platform configuration. All other information, including test submissions and detailed test results, will be treated as confidential between your company and Genoa. Ambiguous test results or protested test results will be reviewed with Microsoft for final determination.

How can I stay informed about the TSP Validation testing process?
Please visit the Genoa Web page. There is an information request form you can use if you have additional questions or would like to be kept up to date on the validation program via e-mail.

What does TAPI 3.0 provide?
TAPI 3.0 builds on and continues to support all features available in the current version: TAPI 2.1. TAPI 3.0 adds several important features to help enable the convergence of traditional telephony and data networking with a broader range of users and developers. TAPI 3.0 enables telephony apps to work the same way regardless of whether the media path for a call is the traditional phone network OR an IP or ATM network. Unlike earlier versions of TAPI that required programming in the C language, TAPI 3.0 is a Component Object Model (COM) API, which means developers can use TAPI 3.0 to build telephony solutions in any programming language. TAPI 3.0 adds media streaming control to its already-proven call control features, by integrating with Microsoft DirectShow^TM technology. TAPI 3.0 includes call control and media stream support by including TAPI Service Providers and Media Stream Providers for H.323 for Internet telephony and for IP Multicast, which will make it easier, faster and less expensive for vendors and developers to create standard-compliant solutions. TAPI 3.0 capitalizes on and integrates with several other networking enhancements included in Windows 2000, such as: quality of service (RSVP, 802.1p, Differentiated Service, ATM) and Active Directory Service.

How will customers and ISVs/IHVs benefit from TAPI 3.0 support in Windows 98?
For customers: This expansion will enable more users to take advantage of TAPI 3.0 capabilities, such as enabling applications to work the same way regardless of whether a call is being routed across the Internet or the IP or ATM infrastructure. (See TAPI 3.0 benefits) For developers: This change provides a larger potential market for developer solutions based on TAPI 3.0 and enables developers of Windows 98 solutions to take advantage of some of the new capabilities in TAPI 3.0, such as COM support, which enables developers to create solutions in the language of their choice--not just in C, as they do today.

When will TAPI 3.0 support be available in Windows 98? How will customers get this upgrade?
Expected in 2000, via Windows Update and OEM Service Release (OSR). TAPI 3.0 support will first be available in Windows 2000. TAPI 3.0 has been included in the Windows 2000 beta products.

Does Microsoft intend to make TAPI 3.0 support available for Windows 95?
No, however we do have some good news for Windows 95 customers. Today, Microsoft supports TAPI 2.1 for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0. Microsoft made TAPI 2.1 available in June 1997. Recently, with the delivery of Windows 98 and Service Pack 3 for Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft made available a TAPI 2.1 Refresh, which contained some bug fixes and features to make installation easier. Those TAPI 2.1 Refresh bits are available to developers in the Windows Platform SDK for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0, however, we've not yet made the end user version of the TAPI 2.1 Refresh available for Windows 95 end customers. We do intend to do this as a means of enhancing customer satisfaction. We expect to make available the TAPI 2.1 Refresh bits for Windows 95 customers shortly after the next beta (beta 3) of Windows 2000.  We have our development team focused on Windows 2000 work right now. This is intended to enhance customer satisfaction, particularly for organizations with extensive call center solutions running Windows 95 on client PCs that wish to take advantage of TAPI 2.1's client/server telephony features and enhanced install features.

Does Microsoft intend to make TAPI 3.0 support available for Windows NT 4.0 and/or Windows NT Embedded? If so, when and how would customers get this upgrade?
This is under consideration, but we have nothing to announce on this point right now. We're soliciting end customer and vendor partner feedback currently. We are focused on delivering Windows 2000 with its TAPI 3.0 support for now.

What are Microsoft and Dialogic doing together?
Microsoft and Dialogic have executed two agreements. One agreement calls for Microsoft to license Dialogic CT Media server software and for Dialogic to provide some development services and support to Microsoft in its efforts to extend its platform support for telephony and converged communications solutions. In exchange for this, Microsoft will pay Dialogic $20 million over the next four years. In addition, Microsoft has made a $24 million equity investment in Dialogic, as covered in a separate investment agreement. With this equity investment, Microsoft will own 5 percent of the outstanding shares of Dialogic common stock.

Why did Microsoft choose to work with Dialogic on this effort?
Microsoft is responding to the needs of our ISV and IHV partners and our end customers to further expand our platform support for telephony to make it easier and faster to build great solutions on Windows. We could address this need either by developing this technology ourselves or we could do this by making use of technology and know-how from elsewhere in the industry. Today, Dialogic is the leading provider of hardware for a variety of open CT solutions from a variety of vendors. Plus Dialogic, with its CT Media support and extensive middleware layers and services, already supports S.100 and TAPI. We felt that by licensing CT Media and by engaging its development assistance, we could accelerate availability of some of these new capabilities. Further, we felt that by licensing Dialogic's CT Media and including that support within some of our upcoming software platforms, we could help expand the market for open telephony and converged communications solutions--an expansion that would benefit the industry as a whole and would benefit customers. We also believe that the two companies share a common vision and have complementary business models--Microsoft is a software company; Dialogic is a hardware company.

Why did Dialogic choose to work with Microsoft on this effort?
While Microsoft cannot answer on Dialogic's behalf, we believe it is because Dialogic recognizes the substantial commitment Microsoft has made and continues to make to ensure that Windows is the premier communications platform. Vendors can bring innovative solutions to market faster by taking advantage of the rich communications support already built-in to Windows. I think Dialogic also recognizes the strong industry momentum behind Windows NT as a computer telephony platform, as shown by just walking around the show floor at CT Expo, for example.

When will products based on this joint effort be available to developers or customers? What will that product or those products be?
Microsoft is not announcing any specific products at this time--we will announce those details at a later date. We can say now that whatever product or products result from this effort, the offerings will extend the role Windows NT plays as a platform for integrated communications solutions and converged networks.

How will the product(s) envisioned from this joint work be sold?
We're not announcing any product plans at this time. We expect to announce packaging, pricing, availability, and other such information when we announce our product plans.

What are the financial terms of this alliance? Is this is a joint venture? Has there been an exchange of equity?
Microsoft and Dialogic have executed two agreements. Under terms of the licensing and development /agreement, Microsoft becomes a non-exclusive licensee of Dialogic's CT Media for the Windows NT® operating system, a communications resource management software platform. Microsoft will retain Dialogic to provide development services and support to extend the Windows platform for telephony and communications services. Microsoft payments to Dialogic over approximately the next four years are expected to total $20 million for the CT Media license and related development services and support.

In addition, the two companies have executed an investment agreement. Microsoft has made a $24.2 million equity investment in Dialogic by purchasing from the company approximately 860,000 shares of common stock. This represents 5 percent of Dialogic's outstanding common stock. Dialogic also has issued Microsoft four-year warrants to purchase approximately 280,000 additional shares of Dialogic common stock at $35.19 per share. Microsoft has agreed to refrain from selling any shares for a period of one year and also refrain from selling 50 percent of the shares for two years. No joint venture or other relationship has been created with these agreements.

Dialogic will publish additional detail soon, as per SEC requirements.

Isn't it uncommon for Microsoft, a software company, to make such an investment in a hardware company?
No, this is not uncommon. Microsoft often invests in businesses that broaden the reach of the PC platform and Windows. This means that Microsoft invests in both hardware and software companies. Keep in mind that Dialogic has both a hardware and an enabling software business.

Have Microsoft and Dialogic worked together previously or is this the beginning of the relationship between the two companies?
Microsoft and Dialogic have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship, involving cooperation in both technical and business development areas. This announcement underscores Microsoft's commitment to the computer telephony industry and our intent to work closely with other hardware and software companies to broaden the reach of computer telephony to organizations of all sizes and to consumers.

Who will own the intellectual property arising from this relationship?
The answer to this question is rather complex, but to summarize, Dialogic will continue to own CT Media, and Microsoft will own certain additional features and components that the companies are developing that take advantage of underlying technologies in Windows NT and CT Media.

How will Microsoft measure or determine the success or failure of this effort with Dialogic?
The same way we measure the success or failure of all of our efforts -- commercial success in the marketplace with our customers and our partners.

Which of Microsoft's and Dialogic's served markets will most benefit from this joint effort?
We believe this announcement benefits all segments of the computer telephony industry. End customers will benefit from the availability of highly functional telephony servers built on industry standard hardware and software platforms from a variety of vendors. OEM system manufacturers will benefit by reduced time to market and the ability to focus their efforts on differentiating their products through enhanced features and services. Independent software vendors who produce telephony applications will benefit from the growth of the overall market for telephony servers and the ability to market their products through OEM relationships with system vendors in addition to their existing end-customer markets. Telephony hardware component manufacturers will benefit from the overall market growth as well, being able to deliver products designed to work with a standard software platform. Distribution channel companies (VARs, system integrators, etc.) will benefit by having more open, easier-to-sell, easier-to-support communications solutions to offer to their customers.

What is the best way for developers to prepare to take advantage of the new offerings that will result from the Microsoft/Dialogic joint efforts?
Last week's news should reinforce a vendor's decision to offer communications solutions on the Windows platform and to provide support for TAPI -- at least for TAPI 2.1 now. If you've not started your Windows 2000 and TAPI 3.0-based development, now would be a great time to review your product plans to include TAPI 3.0 support. Get involved in the Windows 2000 beta program and get the beta program for developers via the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). Telephony hardware vendors are encouraged to participate in the Designed for Windows Logo Program for TAPI SPs. We encourage vendors to participate in the MSDN ISV cooperative marketing program, which provides lots of benefits and is offered at no charge. Included in these benefits: a free monthly e-newsletter, which will help vendors stay abreast of vendor events regarding telephony and communications. Microsoft hardware evangelism team, which supports events like WinHEC, has programs for telephony hardware vendors. We encourage telephony hardware vendors to participate in an upcoming TAPI SP Workshop this spring at the Microsoft campus to be sponsored by the Windows Hardware Evangelism Team. We encourage telephony vendors to plan on participating in the upcoming TAPI Bake-Off (September in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Hilton Hawaiian Village). More details available on the Web and in various e-newsletters soon. Vendors should also start reviewing the ECTF specs and begin to incorporate these specs into their product planning.

What is the best way for end customers to prepare to take advantage of the new offerings that will result from the Microsoft/Dialogic joint efforts?
Last week's news should reinforce your decision to buy and use communications solutions on the Windows platform and to look for solutions that support TAPI -- at least for TAPI 2.1 now. Last week's news should also encourage you to look for your vendors to embrace ECTF specs in their product plans.

What does this announcement mean for other telephony board vendors?
Microsoft greatly values the strong, positive working relationships we have with companies like Natural Microsystems, Brooktrout, MUSIC Telecom, Pika, and others. We recognize that initially other telephony board vendors (Dialogic's direct competitors) may be concerned about this agreement, but we believe they will quickly realize that this agreement is good for the industry and good for them and that they will support this news. Why? Because it will help expand the size of the overall market in which they compete, an expansion that can lead to growth in their business. It is expected to re-invigorate the telephony/communications board market enabling all board vendors to take advantage of these same software platform resources. This agreement underscores Microsoft's commitment to the telephony and communications industry, which should make them feel more confident about developing to the Windows platform. Both TAPI and CT Media are open software platforms. All manufacturers of telephony boards can create TAPI and CT Media drivers that allow their hardware to be integrated into telephony server solutions -- and most already do. Further, most of these telephony board vendors already participate in the ECTF so we hope they will perceive Microsoft's upcoming participation in the ECTF as a positive step for the industry.

Does this announcement mean that Microsoft will now embrace the ECTF's S.100 and/or other proposed protocols within TAPI, given that Dialogic's CT Media supports S.100 and Microsoft's licensing of CT Media?
Yes, it means that Microsoft's platform offering(s) will likely support some or all of the ECTF S.100 Media Services spec in the future. We are not announcing any specific product details related to our Dialogic agreements at this time, however. We plan to make more information available about these platform directions at a later date. NOTE: ECTF stands for Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum, a consortium of vendors working on interoperability approaches for computer telephony hardware and sofware.

Does this announcement mean that Microsoft will join the ECTF organization? If not, why not? If yes, when will it happen?
Yes, Microsoft does plan to participate in and to join the ECTF within the next month or so. (We're working on the paperwork for this now.)

Does Microsoft intend to embrace any of the ECTF specifications? If yes, when?
Yes, Microsoft does expect to embrace and support some of the ECTF specs, but because we are not making any specific product announcements at this time, it is inappropriate to speculate about which specs would be supported and when. In joining the ECTF, Microsoft will be better placed to join other industry leaders in defining a compelling architecture for server-based telephony. S.100, for example, provides a great environment to which TAPI adds powerful and extensible object-oriented call and media control. In joining the ECTF, Microsoft is also responding to the requests we've received from numerous vendors and customers to do so.

Does Microsoft consider the ECTF specs competition for TAPI?
It depends upon which ECTF specs you're referencing, but, in general, we do not view the ECTF specs and TAPI as competitive. In fact, most of these specs are complementary to TAPI. The H.x00 series of specs, for example, are very hardware-focused so they complement TAPI. As another example, the ECTF's S.100 is a C-based API and has no defined call-control interface. TAPI, by contrast, already provides a call control I/F. In this regard, spec and TAPI should be considered complementary. We are working to ensure that the object-oriented TAPI API, with all the flexibility and development options that COM brings to the table, will be the API of choice in an S.100 environment. Other specs the ECTF has proposed or is developing may provide for certain capabilities that TAPI already address. For example, TAPI 3.0 includes coverage for media support and so do some of the ECTF specs under consideration. Over the coming months, as we discuss more of our product plans and as we get involved in the ECTF activities, we expect to paint a clearer picture of how all these elements fit together.

How do the ECTF specs relate to TAPI, particularly to TAPI 3.0?
The S and H series specifications have very broad in scope, defining hardware interfaces, middleware, and programming and management interfaces. TAPI 3.0 offers a comprehensive programming interface for applications that will offer standardized access to the sorts of hardware and software services addressed by the ECTF.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the ECTF specs compared with TAPI?
These specifications are largely complementary. The ECTF specifications address interfaces for hardware, and functions to manage and control hardware-based resources on a voice processing server. TAPI offers applications comprehensive and straightforward interfaces to the facilities offered by an ECTF standards-based server.

When will NetMeeting 3.0 be released?
There will be a public beta in April. Final availability date will depend on customer and partner feedback, but we expect NetMeeting 3.0 to be available in summer 1999.

How soon after NetMeeting 3 do you anticipate newer versions, such as NetMeeting 4?
One release at a time, let's enjoy the beta to come! We can't say for sure -- but we hope to have another major upgrade again within a year. NetMeeting remains a key feature of the Windows operating system and development continues.

TAPI has H.323 support and so does NetMeeting. Is this a duplication? What's the direction on this?
The NetMeeting development team and the TAPI teams are in the same organization. We expect to extend and enhance the H.323 services in TAPI based on the experience we have with NetMeeting. You'll see the merging of the development services that are exposed to third-party developers.

Is NetMeeting 3 Y2K compliant? Is NetMeeting 2.1?
Yes.

What is Microsoft Web-Based interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology?
The Microsoft Web-based IVR technology is a run-time engine which renders Web sites over the phone. It includes an SDK that you can use, together with third party development tools to create Web-based IVR applications. It also includes an administration tool that can be used to configure these dual access Web site according to IVR requirements.

How does Web-based IVR technology relate to TAPI? Is this an alternative to TAPI?
Web-based IVR is NOT an alternative to TAPI. In fact, this technology is another great way that a developer can use TAPI. Web-based IVR "sits on top of" TAPI 3.0 architecturally speaking. Just as TAPI 3.0 with COM enables developers to use any language they would like to develop their telephony solution, Web-based IVR technology provides developers the environment to use if developers to do their telephony app development in HTML. Web-based IVR technology enables HTML to be used more easily to work through TAPI to communicate with the underlying network architecture.

Why is Microsoft working on Web-based IVR?
Microsoft is committed to bring standards-based development to customers wherever possible. Web-based IVR is a standard platform for cooperation between many segments of the industry. In addition, the concept promotes the convergence of the IP and PSTN networks, by enabling businesses to offer data to their customers either over the Internet or by phone.

How is this Web-based IVR technology different from IVR products already available today? What are its advantages for developers and customers?
Microsoft Web-based IVR is based on the popular Web authoring paradigms including (dynamic or static) HTML, VB, Java, ActiveX, ASP. The paradigm is familiar to a much larger audience and provides immediate benefits of a distributed, three-tier, client-server environment. The Web-authoring paradigm is the preferred method of integration for all Back Office applications. Integrating both TAPI devices and SAPI-based speech engine, the Web-based IVR Engine facilitates a single point of integration to two important standards in the telephony industry. The availability of such a solution based on TAPI and SAPI will encourage the creation of products based on the standards, will expand the market for them, and will result in lower prices and higher availability for the end user.

Today, corporations maintain two separate systems (Internet sites and IVR systems) with two separate apparatus of staffing and machines to perform one operation: Communicate with their customers. With Web-based IVR, corporations can maintain a single customer care application, saving almost 50 percent of the development and maintenance cost and improving their reach for a larger audience. Rather than making a decision about what is better for customers--Internet access or an IVR system-- both are presented to the customer at the same time. The customer decides which medium is more convenient: Internet or over the phone.

How and when will Microsoft make this technology available to developers and customers? In what product(s) do you expect to include this technology?
This technology will be a product sometime after the availability of Windows 2000, but we are not yet ready to talk about the specific ship vehicle or vehicles for this technology. This week, Microsoft is previewing the technology. The technology is available under NDA for developers only. For requests to participate, please send email to webivr@microsoft.com .

If you are not ready to talk about specific ship vehicles or timing, why preview the technology now?
Microsoft is previewing the technology to give more developers an opportunity to learn about it, to encourage them to participate in the ongoing development of the technology, and to encourage them to determine how this technology might fit into their product plans looking ahead. This gives developers time to use this technology in their products when the Web-based IVR product actually becomes available. Microsoft also wants to enable end customers to have a look at how this technology could be used in their various communications applications. Previewing the technology now at this major industry event gives us the opportunity to start talking more openly about the application of this technology and to get even better and broader feedback from developers and customers.

What does HTML have to do with IVR?
In many ways, an IVR application is similar to an Internet Web site where HTML links are used to navigate through the site, forms are used to collect information, and ActiveX controls or Java scripts are used to perform more complex operations. Web-based IVR builds on this similarity, adding phone-specific attributes and properties as applicable.

Are other alternatives for this type of support being considered within the W3C and/or other standards groups? If so, what are those alternatives and how does Microsoft's Web-based IVR technology compare to them?
There are other alternatives in the market. Microsoft would like to see all those alternatives brought for discussion to the newly-formed voice browser working group in the W3C organization. See more in the Vox ML discussion.

What operating system is required for Web-based IVR?
Windows 2000 server.

What Web server is required for Web-based IVR? Does this technology require Microsoft Internet Information Server to work?
This technology should work with any Web server.

Which version of TAPI will Web-based IVR require?
Since TAPI 3.0 supports TAPI 3.0 and TAPI 2.x drivers, Web-based IVR supports those drivers as well.

Will Web-based IVR support speech human interfaces (speech synthesis and speech recognition)?
Web-based IVR uses Microsoft Speech Applications Programming Interface (SAPI) for text-to-speech (TTS) and speech recognition. TTS is used to render HTML pages without the recording of voice files. Speech recognition is used to select options from menus or fill entry fields and text areas.

Web-based IVR technology also support Microsoft's Speech API (SAPI). Does Web-based IVR technology require SAPI to work? Is there enough SAPI support out there to make this technology viable anytime soon?
SAPI is not required. A developer may design a system that uses voice file for output and DTMF digits for input. Use of speech technologies is only an option.

How can you say that the information hierarchy designed for a graphical user interface may be used for a voice user interface?
The value of Web-based IVR lies both in the ability to create a single Web site accessible by graphical user interface and voice, together with the ability to take advantage of Web authoring paradigms such as HTML, VB/Java scripts , ActiveX/Java beans and ASP/CGI in the authoring of phone-only Web site. The technology allows a flexible decision on which parts of any page or any Web site will be used for both media and which will be media specific.

Who will produce the development tools for the Web-based IVR platform?
Many of today's IVR system vendors are expected to provide development tool support for Web-based IVR. In fact, several of these ISVs and IHVs are previewing early versions of these products this week in the Microsoft Partner Pavilion. Companies demonstrating support for Microsoft's Web-based IVR this week include: Digi, EncoTone, EsnaTech, MediaSoft, MUSIC Telecom, OmTool, Registry Magic, Telekol, and WhiteCap.

Does Web-based IVR support voice over IP?
Yes. Web-based IVR supports any call coming in through TAPI 3.0. Since TAPI 3.0 supports voice over IP, Web-based IVR supports it as well.