Instant messaging software firm Jabber has outlined plans for an XMPP-to-SIP Gateway that opens the door for interoperability with IBM's Lotus IM product

The Jabber move to connect with Big Blue's instant messenger comes less than a week after Microsoft announced it would open its enterprise-focused Live Communications Server 2005 (LCS 2005) to chat networks run by rivals America Online and Yahoo. It signals increased momentum in the push for full IM interoperability, especially among enterprise-focused offerings. Jabber said the XMPP-to-SIP server-to-server Gateway would connect its Jabber XCP communications platform with IBM's Lotus IM offering, which uses the SIMPLE protocol. SIMPLE is a flavor of SIP, the signaling protocol for Internet conferencing, telephony, presence, events notification and instant messaging. Microsoft's upcoming LCS 2005 utilizes the SIP protocol, which raises the possibility that Jabber's XMPP-based platform could connect to businesses using Redmond's real-time collaboration offering. In its announcement, Jabber said the gateway launch will "provide the basis for additional XMPP-SIP interoperability releases from the company in the months to come" and is scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter this year. XMPP, widely considered a rival protocol to SIMPLE, provides an XML-based protocol for server-to-server instant messaging and presence. Earlier this year, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) approved XMPP as a standard for IM and presence, providing a boost to Jabber's XCP, which is based on XMPP.