Fixed-mobile convergence products are making their presence known in the enterprise.
FMC is taking form by mobilizing private telephone switches used by many businesses, and offering PBX functions that extend to wireless devices. This baby step toward convergence, instead of some of the more daring moves made by operators overseas, helps carriers to experiment with FMC while at the same time limits the risk that converged products will cannibalize their revenue streams, according to Kitty Weldon, principal analyst for enterprise mobility at Current Analysis.
Enterprising moves
Verizon Communications Inc.’s Business unit plans to hit the market with two new products in its first foray in offering FMC to enterprises. One product, PBX Mobile Extension, is designed to extend PBX functions to mobile devices for large businesses. Verizon Business is enabling the product using technology from Ascendent Systems, which was acquired by Research in Motion Ltd. in March.
RIM followed up the Ascendent acquisition with an announcement in May that it was introducing a BlackBerry Mobile Voice System that would allow BlackBerry users to access PBX functions.
According to Gartner research VP Phillip Redman, carriers are experimenting with consumer FMC products, but “They’re not exactly sure what people want yet. . FMC might actually do better in the enterprise sector first, because there’s a more common, shared goal.”
Venture-backed Firsthand Technologies, based in Ottawa, has seen increasing momentum for its business in the past six months. The company provides technology to original equipment manufacturers to enable mobilizing the PBX. President and CEO Dave Hattey said that as wireless technologies have progressed, users first became accustomed to having access to contacts and calendar information through mobile, and that evolved to access to e-mail and messaging, and now wireless is all about real-time communication.
“On the business side, what we see is voice call connectivity is definitely nice to have, but it’s maybe 10% of the total value. All those other pieces that bring true mobility and increase productivity,” Hattey said.
In Verizon Business’ PBX Mobile Extension, an on-site device links in to the business’ PBX and allows functions such as four-digit dialing and conferencing. It is carrier-agnostic, so businesses that use multiple wireless carriers for service can use it regardless of which network the devices use. The product can ring multiple devices simultaneously. A Verizon Business product targeted at small and medium businesses, Wireless Office, is a network-based solution that extends some PBX functions to mobile and includes pricing options for “on-campus” or on-net calls from wireless devices to corporate office extensions.
Kelly Brown, group manager of emerging services product marketing for Verizon Business, said that with so many businesses having mobile employees who work from remote offices or handle business on the go, businesses are “trying to make sure that their first line of contact is through the business phone, vs. through someone’s mobile phone.”
That way, she added, if an employee leaves, the customer contact isn’t broken.
Also, the FMC product allows businesses to take advantage of international calling rates they’ve negotiated on the wireline side. “I think we all recognize that FMC is the ultimate goal-mobility no matter where you are, what device you’re on, and having access to the network and business information. It’s an evolutionary process,” said Kathleen Murphy, group manager of emerging service product development for Verizon Business.
