Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) - the overlapping of cellular and fixed-line telephony - is set to take off in South Africa as companies look to the technology to help them save money and boost efficiency.
That's the word from Itec Group CEO, Philip Perkins. He says that following on the convergence of voice and data on the corporate network, FMC is likely to be the next form of convergence that will take off in the enterprise.
Perkins says that FMC is about providing end-users with a consistent set of telecom services wherever they are and irrespective of whether they are using the mobile or fixed-line network. The end-user will be reachable through a single phone number and may even be using a single smartphone to take calls whether he or she is in the office or out on the road.
Reachable through a single telephone number
With this one number, one phone approach, companies can make their employees easier for colleagues and customers to reach. "Customers simply need to remember one number to reach their contact at your organisation, without needing to leave multiple messages on PBX and cellular voicemail," says Perkins. "Users no longer need to worry about checking two voicemail boxes or missing important calls on their landline since they'll be accessible through a single number at all times."
Perkins says that FMC offers companies potentially vast cost-savings since they no longer need to outfit every single employee with a desktop phone. Instead, users will be able to use a single a dual-mode smartphone with Wi-Fi and GSM to make all of their calls.
These devices are becoming increasingly affordable, especially when the cost-savings on cellular calls is taken into account. One drawback lies in the relatively short battery life that most smartphones offer, but this problem will be solved over time, says Perkins.
While users are in the office or a Wi-Fi hotspot, they'll be able to make low-cost voice-over-IP calls from their handsets. When they're not near a Wi-Fi network, they'll be able to make use of their cellular network.
Seamless roaming
Eventually, they'll be able to seamlessly roam between Wi-Fi and cellular networks using devices that support the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). "In other words, you'll be able to initiate a call in a VOIP hot-spot, which is seamlessly handed over to the cellular network when you move out of the coverage area," says Perkins.
Perkins says that many users depend on their smartphones to make even internal phone calls as they walk around the office building or campus. With FMC, they'll be able to move around freely yet benefit from the lower VOIP tariffs while they're covered by the office Wi-Fi network.
"The benefits may be especially significant for end-users that travel overseas extensively," he adds. "Rather than paying exorbitant international roaming costs, they could make cheap VOIP calls from hotspots."
Concludes Perkins: "The technology for FMC is maturing at a rapid rate and we expect to see strong adoption in the months to come. FMC is a powerful tool in a world where customers expect immediate response to their calls and workers want to have flexible tools that allow them to work the same way whether they're at their desks or not."