Abstract: A unified messaging system that provides a multimedia mailbox. The system allows a subscriber to access stored multimedia messages, such as voicemail messages, facsimile messages, combined voice and facsimile messages and video messages, not only through a public switched telephone network using a telephone but also over a data network, such as the Internet or an intranet, using a personal computer. The system provides voicemail access over the telephone network, indicating message number, etc. with the ability to play messages to the telephone user as desired. For text type messages, such as facsimile and e-mail, the system converts the text into speech and plays the speech to the telephone user. The system allows a personal computer user to obtain the data network access using an Internet browser.