Imagine a world where you’re just about to leave the office and your work phone starts ringing. It’s an excellent opportunity for you and your sales portfolio, but the office doors are about to lock. You could ask your customer to call you back on your private number – but that doesn’t bode well for privacy and security regulations. That means waiting until tomorrow and hoping they’ll call again.
So, what if there was another way?
Fixed Mobile Convergence, or “FMC”, is a technology trend that aims to forge seamless connections between your wired connections, and your wireless telecommunication networks. FMC isn’t an entirely new concept – it’s actually something that’s been floating around in the comms landscape for a few years now – promising to eventually become the next big thing.
In today’s changing world, where employees are spending more time moving in and out of the office, the golden age of FMC could be on the horizon.
Of course, before we can unlock the benefits of this technology – we need to understand what it means.
What is Fixed Mobile Convergence?
Let’s break the concept of FMC down into it’s more basic parts.
The “fixed” part of this equation refers to the wired or “fixed” lines in your communication stack. It might refer to the internet that you’re connected to your home or business office, as well as the telephone lines that that support your business. The “mobile” aspect refers to the part of your communication stack that’s dynamic and movable – your smartphone or mobile telephony.
For the most part, these two systems exist completely separate from each other, and they offer benefits in unique ways. However, Fixed Mobile Convergence asks companies to imagine what would be possible if we can bring those two worlds together.
The goal of FMC is to optimise the way that we access and share data, video, and voice communications as end users in a business landscape. In an ideal FMC-enabled world, we’d all be able to communicate seamlessly on the same environment, regardless of location or device.
Why is Fixed Mobile Convergence a Good Idea?
The biggest benefit of Fixed Mobile Convergence is convenience. With this technology, you have one number that reaches you wherever you are. That’s the number you use to connect to the internet, collaborate with colleagues, and connect with customers. It stays with you when you’re walking down the street to grab your afternoon coffee, when you’re in the office, and when you’re at home.
With FMC, you can start a call with a client in the office, then walk to a local café and continue the conversation without switching phones or numbers. You could also continue to take the same call when you’re at home, all while maintaining your business phone presence.
FMC also allows business users to take advantage of the benefits of VoIP technology wherever they go. With access to W-Fi, you can have complete coverage for your smartphone wherever you might be. There are no disruptions or breaks in the call – just constant conversation.
In the communications industry, FMC means that companies don’t have to ditch the standard deskphone in favour of a mobile phone. Business leaders get an affordable, efficient, and secure way to ensure that teams can stay connected on the same number, wherever they are.
Creating the Perfect Fixed Mobile Convergence Solution
We’re still in the early days of discovering what FMC can really do for the business landscape. The key to success for the FMC landscape will be learning how to get the cellular and Wi-Fi networks to speak together effectively.
Some providers are building fixed mobile convergence solutions on the cellular network, building on various technologies, including femtocells, which extend the range of a typical cellular network. We’ve also got the rise of the LTE or Long Term Evolution standard to consider. Other vendors are exploring the potential of extending the WiFi network with tools like WiMAX is leading the way in this area.
While some providers are already working on fourth generation networks for fixed mobile convergence. The complete convergence of the data and voice landscape is still underway. However, there’s a lot of potential coming in the future. Some companies recommend using things like LTE technology and WiMAX at the same time.
Although it’s difficult to know for certain what the future of fixed mobile convergence technology might look like, it seems certain that companies will continue to experiment in this area. What do you think the future of FMC holds?
