Simplifying fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) for businesses

Fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) hasn’t exactly taken off in the enterprise market, which is surprising given how dependent businesses are on wireless technology. That’s why it will be interesting to see how the market responds to what BT Global Services rolled out last week.

Unlike most other FMC offerings, which rely on a femtocell or Wi-Fi network on the premises, BT is using 3G wireless to deliver PBX features to mobile handsets, wherever they are. The value of this proposition is a strong one. Regardless of whether a business employee is a road warrior or anchored to an office desk, the features and functionality of the office phone system can be delivered to a wireless device. That single device becomes the communications tool of the worker, without requiring the enterprise to deploy additional network infrastructure.

There are some limitations to what BT is doing. The technology it is using, OnRelay’s mobile PBX platform, is a proprietary system, and that can be limiting in and of itself. As a cellular 3G solution, the BT Global Service FMC offering won’t be as viable in places where 3G infrastructure isn’t available, and there certainly still are many 3G gaps in the U.S.

But BT has wisely seen that enterprises aren’t that fond of building additional networks — such as the local Wi-Fi networks using in dual-mode FMC offerings — and that pushing all voice traffic onto a data network just increases the demand on that network, creating the need for investment and expansion. Making a straightforward FMC solution that focuses on eliminating desk phones but retaining that functionality is an approach that may have broad appeal.

E-mail me at cwilson3@telephonyonline.com.