However, Gartner believes that less than 30 per cent of enterprises will be able to build a strong business case to introduce a dual-mode WiFi/cellular Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) environment, and most will simply “let FMC happen” over the next decade as equipment naturally gets replaced. Telindus, an expert in delivering vendor-independent business and technology-focused network solutions and services, today announced that it has developed a portfolio of services – Collaborative Working Solutions – that will enable business to leverage the benefits of FMC immediately.
The term FMC describes a wide range of services that converge multiple elements of a fixed communications infrastructure to complement the core mobile service and include many different types of wireless and wired access technologies. Many organisations recognise the need to mobilise their workforce – providing mobile phones, PDAs, laptops – but find it difficult to manage the costs.
The Telindus FMC solution lets businesses cost-effectively deploy mobile technologies by transparently combining WiFi and public/private mobile cellular networks via a single, dual-mode handheld device. The solution allows the user to take advantage of higher speed, cheaper local unlicensed access networks, reserving the licensed spectrum for higher value, low volume transactions.
“The cost of keeping workers productive can be prohibitive for many businesses, especially as the working styles of the modern enterprise involve people working from different locations at different times,” said Mark Hutchinson, UK Managing Director at Telindus. “Collaborative working enables organisations to become more efficient by improving the way workers communicate, consolidating the number of devices people use and dramatically reducing call costs. The Telindus Collaborative Working solution enables users with enhanced communication for all media [voice, video and data] to ensure they can be more productive.”
Working with its partners, Divitas and Picocells, Telindus designs a bespoke FMC deployment for each customer following a thorough consultancy period in which the user’s requirements are analysed and a network readiness assessment developed. Once agreed, Telindus integrates the new communications network with the existing infrastructure and provides ongoing support and managed services.
“The ability to offer ubiquitous wireless coverage to a single device eliminates the need for companies to deploy landlines as well as mobile phones. With this new service, businesses can give workers a single mobile phone secure in the knowledge that the system will automatically ensure that the most cost-effective connectivity is always used,” added Hutchinson.