New products from Avaya, Nokia and BT could finally have
made fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) a reality.
The benefits to business of FMC include the ability to use
single handsets for both mobile and fixed-line calls, and the
ability to cut call costs by only paying for more expensive mobile
calls when the handset is not in range of the corporate private
branch exchange or other routing device.
Phillip Redman, an analyst at Gartner, said, "Convergence in the
enterprise is happening rapidly today on both the wired and
wireless Lan, reducing network and device costs and driving new
capabilities for voice and data access across wired and wireless
networks."
Avaya and Nokia have designed an FMC system to allow companies
to cut their mobile call costs and offer greater IP call
functionality.
The joint offering, which has been trialled over six months
among 100 users in the US, Europe and Asia, is a dual-mode mobile
device that can make and receive calls over both mobile and fixed
line networks.
By allowing a mobile phone to make calls via the enterprise
private branch exchange, companies can save money by cutting down
on calls made over more expensive mobile networks.
Nokia mobile phones can now be equipped with the Avaya Mobile
software client, designed to be used for Nokia Series 60 mobile
platform-based phones.
The client software allows users to access Avaya Communication
Manager-based enterprise telephony capabilities, more commonly
accessible on desktop IP phones. Mobile users will have access to
features such as extension dialling, multi-party conferencing, call
transfer, voicemail forwarding, group call features and call
forwarding.
Avaya and Nokia plan to take FMC one step further early next
year by extending the Avaya Mobile system to Nokia Wi-Fi phones,
which will allow users to enjoy full IP functionality by connecting
phones to IP-based wireless Lans.
BT has also entered the FMC market with its Bluephone broadband
phone service, which allows users to use the same phone either in
the office or home or on a mobile network.
The phone, supplied as part of the BT Fusion service, acts as a
normal mobile GSM phone outside the office or home, but when inside
routes calls through a BT hub onto a BT broadband line for cheaper
calls.
The phone connects to the hub via Bluetooth short-range wireless
technology, hence the name Bluephone. The hub can, theoretically,
also be used to wirelessly connect laptops, printers and other
Bluetooth-enabled hardware together, giving BT another unique
selling point for the service.
BT provides a Motorola handset and hub free as part of these
packages.
BT initially introduced the service to 400 early adopters in the
summer and is due to make the service generally available this
month.