BroadSoft announces the BroadSoft Xtended Voice Mashup Contest to create telephony mashups that provide new, valuable services for businesses and consumers. Running through Sept. 2, the Xtended Voice Mashup Contest challenges Web 2.0 and telecom developers to combine the multitude of BroadWorks VoIP features with other applications, including customer relationship management, business collaboration and social networking. Telephony applications such as SMS, voicemail, fax and mobile clients also qualify for submission. Developers will have access to the Xtended Services Interface RESTful API during the contest.

Developers will compete for the three top prizes, which are valued at $15,500, $5,500 and $3,500. A panel of experts will select the winners, who will demo their mashups to hundreds of telecom executives from around the globe at the BroadSoft Connections 2008 executive users conference, to be held in Phoenix, Arizona from Oct. 5-8. Noted author Tim O'Reilly, who is credited with coining the phrase "Web 2.0," is the event keynote speaker.

The contest winners will be announced at the Web 2.0 Expo New York 2008, which takes place Sept. 16-19.

The prizes are:

• First Place - $5,000 in cash, and an all-expenses-paid trip to BroadSoft Connections 2008 with a free Solutions ShowCase booth (valued at $10,500).
• Second Place - $2,000 in cash, and an all-expenses-paid trip to BroadSoft Connections with a complimentary pass (valued at $3,500).
• Third Place - $1,000 in cash, and a complimentary pass to BroadSoft Connections 2008 (valued at $2,500).

After winners are announced, approved entries will be posted on the Xtended Marketplace, an online portal where service providers and their end-users can download mashups. Developers can generate revenue by charging a fee for their applications or by building customized versions of their apps for service providers.

BroadSoft Xtended Marketplace, the first of its kind for the telecommunications industry, was launched in March 2008 to drive the integration of voice with Web 2.0 technologies. The initiative has spurred the creation of voice mashups with leading business and consumer applications, including Facebook, WebEx, Lotus Notes, ACT! by Sage and GotVoice. Newly created mashups are available to BroadSoft's nearly 300 service providers in 59 countries.

For rules and prize details for the Xtended Voice Mashup Contest, visit http://developer.broadsoft.com/contest. The contest is free to enter. Developers can register at http://developer.broadsoft.com/contest.