DUAL-MODE D-DAY

“Our predominant asset is our wireline company,” said Tom McEvoy, president of business markets for Embarq. “It's higher quality — you don't get dropped calls — and it's more economical. We're trying to make it simple and easy so customers don't have to worry about which network they're on when they're going in and out of the office. We take care of getting the call onto the most economical, highest-quality network.”

People who use their wireless phones for business may burn up as many as half of their monthly minutes while in offices and conference rooms with wireline phones, McEvoy said. Smart Connect Plus changes that equation by providing a dual-mode handset from UT Starcom that runs software from NewStep Networks. The handset software communicates with additional software running on Embarq's IP network infrastructure, automatically switching calls between the cellular network and the corporate Wi-Fi network when the phone comes within range of the corporate Wi-Fi network.

“The software is constantly monitoring the signal, and as soon as it picks up the Wi-Fi network, it automatically defaults to Wi-Fi,” McEvoy said. He added that the UT Starcom phone has a green light to indicate when it is using the cellular network and a red light to indicate when it is on the Wi-Fi network.

To use the Smart Connect Plus service, customers must purchase cellular service from Embarq, which buys that service on a wholesale basis from Sprint. In addition to their usual monthly wireless fees, customers pay $19.95 or $24.95 a month for the offering. The lower rate is for people who also purchase wireless data service from Embarq.

The dual-mode handset costs Embarq about $400, but customers pay around $150 for it. Embarq technicians handle the task of programming the phones to recognize the corporate Wi-Fi network. “It won't pick up just any hotspot,” McEvoy said, because business customers “only want this working in their location.” Although such programming could be downloaded over the air, Embarq prefers to have the task handled by a company representative who also can train end users while at the site.

Smart Connect Plus builds on Embarq's Smart Connect service, a more simple fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) offering that does not use a dual-mode handset but instead lets customers switch calls from any operator's cellular phone to the corporate Wi-Fi network by pushing a speed-dial button. Smart Connect sells for $9.95 a month when customers purchase cellular service from Embarq or $14.95 a month when they use another wireless operator.

McEvoy noted that Smart Connect is more popular with small businesses. “Smart Connect Plus goes to customers with more of a campus environment, such as colleges and health care,” he said. “Typically they already have Wi-Fi.”