The adoption rates for European business fixed mobile
convergence (FMC) will vary from sector to sector, with retail and
services firms leading the way.
Research from analyst IDC says FMC - single phone handsets able
to access both fixed and mobile phone networks - will be adopted in
multiple stages.
IDC said 11.1%
of companies are planning short-term investments in IP telephony
and a further 10.3% are considering such investments over the next
two years.
The first FMC handsets allowed users to access both traditional
fixed line phone networks and mobile ones.
The next wave of handsets allow users to make IP-based calls
over fixed line broadband networks free of cost and over more
expensive mobile ones.
The third wave of FMC handsets also allow users to make free or
cheaper calls over Wi-Fi networks too.
IDC survey results indicate that within two years of wider FMC
mobile service availability, more than 45% of companies in business
services and retail/wholesale will migrate to a converged
communications service.
"Fixed-to-mobile convergence will happen in multiple stages and
the pace of transition will differ considerably from a vertical
market perspective," said Nina Bonagura, an analyst at IDC.
“While just over 30% of companies are willing to change their
communication services strategy between six to 24 months after
wider FMC availability, specific vertical markets reveal a higher
propensity to undergo such investments within this time span,” said
Bonagura.
IP telephony adoption centres around cost benefits, said IDC,
with 65.6% of respondents indicating voice communications cost
reduction to be the primary IP telephony benefit.
Telecoms analyst Analysys recently estimated firms could shave a
third off their call bills using FMC.
Related article:
Firms to reduce phone bills by 30% with FMC
Related article:
VoiceCon Spring: A transition show for the VoIP industry
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