BT has unveiled a new enterprise fixed/mobile
convergence service to help organisations merge their Wi-Fi
networks with GSM mobile networks to cut costs.
BT said the service would enable organisations to take advantage
of fixed/mobile convergence and the increasing deployment of IP
telephony and Wi-Fi coverage, potentially achieving greater
productivity, reduced GSM call costs, and improved quality of
service.
BT launched a similar service to home users and small offices
more than a year ago, which sees users deploying a small wireless
hub that connects a dual-mode phone to both a land line and a
mobile network.
When in range of the hub, calls are routed through a cheaper
land line, and when not in range they go over the more expensive
mobile network. BT plans to sell competitive call price plans with
this service.
The first organisation to trial the new enterprise service is
Leeds City Council, the UK's second largest local authority.
The council is piloting BT Corporate Fusion across two of its
premises to assess its capability of improving productivity and
communications.
Council employees involved in the trial will use dual-mode
mobile phones that incorporate both regular GSM and additional
Wi-Fi connectivity.
Within the council's premises, calls made from these mobile
phones are connected via Wi-Fi access points and routed over
existing fixed-line infrastructure.
Deploying Wi-Fi access points across Leeds' premises ensures
optimal in-building coverage. At present, analyst firms Gartner and
IDC estimate that more than 50% of employees' mobile phone calls
are made within offices, despite the fact that cheaper fixed-line
phones are readily available.
Using BT Corporate Fusion will allow Leeds City Council
employees to continue using mobile devices, while enabling the
council to migrate these calls onto Wi-Fi and potentially bring
down the cost.
BT will announce details of mobile handset deals with suppliers
in the coming weeks. The service will be launched in the UK and
Italy in early 2007, followed by a phased international roll-out in
Germany, the Benelux countries, Spain and France.
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