As we watch the unified communications space grow and reall liven up, we're going to see lots of news from many exciting players. One such company is  .

Below is a press release about their Series B funding. I'm don't think I'm releasing it too early. I also thought I'd share two snippets of information about Tello  from their web site. First, their tagline statemen at the top of the page is pretty eye-catching -

Across businesses implies with partners, across applications speaks to integrated services, and across devices sounds like platform independence from laptops to PDAs to cell phones.

Here's their opening blurb -

In an upcoming release, Tello will offer the first instant communication service that enables business users to locate and collaborate with key contacts beyond their enterprise boundaries and across multiple platforms - including phones, mobile devices and PCs. Tello's service will be available via an OnDemand hosted model which will feature rapid activation and require no hardware, software or IT support.

Sounds like ad hoc, on the fly, network creation synergy. That's enough to keep me watching. And I'm not alone. Network World listed Tello in their 10 Start-ups to watch

Tello Secures $10 Million in Series B Funding

BCE Capital Leads Second Round for

Unified Communication and Collaboration Service Provider 

San Mateo, Calif. - July 25, 2006 – Tello Corporation, a provider of OnDemand unified communication and collaboration services, has secured $10 million in Series B funding.  BCE Capital led the round, with Tello’s existing investors, including Eagle River, Evercore Partners, Rho Ventures, and Intel Capital also participating.  Tello will use the funding to further develop its OnDemand Unified Communication and Collaboration service designed for individual professionals, SMBs and work teams, before bringing it to market later this year. 

Doug Renert, CEO at Tello, commented: “BCE Capital has a successful track record of investing and actively supporting emerging leaders in the field of next-generation communications.  We share with BCE a common vision of what Tello will become and are delighted to have them join our team.”

Gary Rubinoff, managing partner at BCE Capital, has joined Tello’s board of directors.  “We are very enthusiastic about our investment in Tello,” said Mr. Rubinoff.  “The unified communication category is taking off and Tello is well positioned to become a leader by delivering breakthrough productivity enhancement at a disruptively low price.”  

About Tello Corporation
Tello provides an OnDemand Unified Communication and Collaboration service that accelerates and improves business interactions for professionals, SMBs and work teams.  The Tello service enables users to filter inbound communications, improve control of outbound communications, and enhance every interaction they engage in with others. The service is simple to set up, offers a transformative user experience, and is surprisingly affordable.

The company is privately-held, with a group of investors that includes BCE Capital, Eagle River, Evercore Partners, Rho Ventures and Intel Capital. Tello is headquartered in San Mateo, California. For more information, visit www.Tello.com.

About BCE Capital
BCE Capital is a leading Canadian venture capital firm. Founded in 1987, the firm has built a track record of investing in and developing some of the most successful emerging growth communications and information technology companies in North America. BCE Capital has backed over 40 management teams, and has seen several of them through IPOs and acquisitions. Currently, the firm is investing in Fund IV, a US$200 million fund focusing on early-stage communications and IT companies.

BCE Capital is affiliated with Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE), Canada's largest communications company. Through its main subsidiary Bell Canada, BCE provides local telephone, long distance, wireless communications, internet access, data, satellite television and other services to residential and business customers through some 27 million customer connections. For more information, visit www.bcecapital.com.