| Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) |
| Competitive Intelligence Spotlight |
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Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) is defined as the seamless integration of mobile and fixed voice and data applications, regardless of whether these applications originate from network-based carrier services, CPE-based enterprise solutions, or a combination of the two.
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Current Analysis Advisory Reports on FMC are offered for viewing at no cost. Follow these links: |
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Examples of FMC applications include dual-mode services that allow mobile devices to connect to both cellular and WiFi/DECT/Bluetooth wireless networks; single-number reach services that make calls placed to a landline immediately available via mobile devices; and the availability of PBX call features, corporate directories, corporate email, voice mail, presence, and instant messaging and other applications via mobile handsets.
Generally speaking, there are two ways of making FMC available to end users: network-based service offerings delivered by cellular operators and CPE-based solutions that enterprises purchase and deploy with or without the use of a specific FMC service offering.
Carrier-controlled FMC builds a single service model for voice, data and applications, across any access network. The majority of FMC service initiatives to date seek to deploy the voice-centric Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) protocol and handsets for consumers. Other emerging approaches to carrier-controlled FMC involve the use of the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture or femtocells. Operators' FMC services are targeted at both consumers and business subscribers.
Enterprise-controlled FMC utilizes a combination of application servers, edge gateways, PBX call features, and client software to make applications common in enterprises’ fixed voice and data networks available on mobile devices that hitherto have had little to no access to corporate network resources. A carrier-controlled FMC service might work in conjunction with an enterprise-controlled FMC solutions, but this is becoming increasingly unnecessary as the enterprise technology matures. Enterprise-controlled FMC solutions are intended for use by businesses, but not consumers.
Current Analysis provides comprehensive research into the FMC market. Below you will find a list of Current Analysis FMC reports, presentations, analyst news flashes, competitive intelligence highlights, and other analysis and resources. Clients with subscriptions can access any report by following the Client Access links. Selected reports and analysis are offered for viewing at no cost.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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Orange Makes a Fixed and Mobile Bundle Move to Outperform French FMC Rivals
Competitive Update | Enterprise Mobility - Europe
[May 5, 2008]
Orange announces a new but limited edition for fixed and mobile services for SOHO/SME to counter rivals latest offerings. While this is an interesting move to enhance Orange’s competitiveness, French rivals will soon counter with better offers.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate/High |
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Orange Business Services Strengthen its Unik FMC Proposition to French Business Clients
Competitive Update | Enterprise Mobility - Europe
[Apr 18, 2008]
Orange Business Services makes another move to enhance its Unik FMC service. While the company unveils an interesting PBX extended service to mobile phones, the event is overshadowed by other services being announced at the same time.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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Verizon Business Steps Up to the FMC Challenge with Security Log Service
Competitive Intelligence Report | Business Telecom Services - Europe
[Mar 26, 2008]
Verizon Business is taking log management and monitoring up the stack with LogLogic technology to include applications and access from any fixed or mobile device. This lays the security foundation for corporate FMC strategies.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
Low |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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Neuf Cegetel Plays the FMC Card to Bring French Smaller Business Clients On Board
Competitive Update | Enterprise Mobility - Europe
[Mar 20, 2008]
Neuf Cegetel announces unlimited and secure fixed and mobile data access service for SOHO/SME. While this is a positive move to enhance its market position rivals will soon counter with similar or better offers in a dynamic market.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate/High |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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VoiceCon Spring 2008: Motorola Enters FMC Fray with VoWLAN and Dual-mode Initiatives
Show Update | Enterprise Communications/Mobility
- [Mar 18, 2008]
Motorola unveils its strategy for enterprise FMC, with handsets and server platforms for voice/data access via WiFi and cellular networks. While a touch late, Motorola brings unique elements together and should still have a place at the table.
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As Incumbents Broaden Their Wireless Bundles, CLECs Take a Stake in the Mobility Game
Advisory Report | Business Network Services - U.S. [Mar 14, 2008]
The major U.S. incumbents finally have marked the integration of fixed and mobile services as crucial to the future of business communications. Their CLEC competitors are keeping a close eye on SMB mobility demands, and some have taken the plunge.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
High |
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Cable & Wireless UK Aims Enterprise FMC at Mobility Share of Wallet
Competitive Intelligence Report | Enterprise Mobility - Europe
[Mar 11, 2008]
C&W’s inaugural entry into the UK enterprise FMC market expands the options for large enterprises, enhances the carrier’s status and mounts a credible response to BT Corporate Fusion, but the jury is out on the winning enterprise FMC formula.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Low/Moderate |
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Mobile World Congress 2008: Sonus Jumps into
FMC Game with Unveiling of mobilEdge Platform
Show Update | Carrier IP Telehony
[Feb 13, 2008]
Sonus makes a splash in the FMC market with the introduction of the mobilEdge platform. However, it remains to be seen if a media gateway platform is the best host for the functionality required at the edge of both mobile and fixed networks.
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Current Perspective: |
Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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Vodafone Germany Unveils IP-Phone Pro for SMEs
Competitive Intelligence Report | Enterprise Mobility - Europe
[Jan 24, 2008]
After a year in hibernation, IP-Phone Pro is due to make a March service launch debut at CeBit. The level of fixed-mobile integration is impressive, but the business-centric, value-added features are limited.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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Vodafone Germany Integrates VoIP with Mobile: ‘Messenger PC’
Competitive Intelligence Report | Wireless Services - Europe
[Jan 24, 2008]
Messenger PC marks a milestone in Vodafone’s progression from bundles towards more sophisticated, integrated fixed-mobile services. Still, Messenger PC is an exploratory exercise for the fast-evolving ‘Total Communications Provider.’
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate/High |
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NexTone and Reef Point Unite under FMC Banner to Form NextPoint
Competitive Intelligence Report | Carrier IP Telephony
[Dec 5, 2007]
The merger of NexTone and Reef Point to form NextPoint will create an entity with a product that is far enough in front of the demand curve that the company could find itself sitting pretty or falling off the edge of the competitive landscape.
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Current Perspective: |
Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Low |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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Cisco’s Latest Dual-Mode Moves No Threat to Enterprise FMC Competitors
Competitive Intelligence Report | Enterprise Communications
[Nov 6, 2007]
Support for a wider range of dual-mode phones provides Cisco customers with practical, no-nonsense enterprise fixed-mobile convergence. But sexy features like handoffs between wireless networks remain off the product roadmap.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Low |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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Tele2 Spain Launches Voice and Broadband Package Promotions for SOHOs and SMEs
Competitive Update | Business Telecom Services - Europe [Nov 2, 2007]
Spain announced a new range of SOHO/SME voice and broadband bundles and a pricing promotion. A client acquisition here will assist any future FMC plans that Vodafone, which acquired Tele2 Spain last month, has on the Spanish market.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
High |
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Telecom Italia Launches Unica Again –
the Carrier is Gradually Polishing the Diamond
Competitive Intelligence Report | Wireless Services - Europe [Oct 02, 2007]
Telecom Italia announces Unica – Italy’s first real quadruple-play package from a single vendor. The dual-mode phone will appeal to users looking to consolidate their services to a single handset, but the provisioning process raises questions.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Low/Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Low/Moderate |
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AT&T Launches the BlackBerry 8820,
Adding WiFi Data Access
to EDGE
Competitive Update | Enterprise Mobility - U.S.
[Sep 19, 2007]
AT&T launches the BlackBerry 8820, allowing extended coverage to in-home and corporate WLANs as well as WiFi hotspots for data. While it enhances the carrier’s lineup, it leaves us asking for more information on future IMS and VoWiFi plans.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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FMC Alert: Home Free Arrives In Sweden
Competitive Update (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Sep 05, 2007]
Telia is the first European operator to provide a UMA-enabled FMC service over second-party (alternative) broadband. But the service pricing model lacks flexibility, and device choice is poor.
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Current Perspective: |
Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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Orange France Bundles Unik with TV: net et unik
Competitive Update (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Aug 20, 2007]
Orange France’s first attempt to align Unik with an ADSL TV package is limited, but it is certain to improve with time. This promotion will test the waters for integrated packages among young technophiles who frequently move house.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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Orange Spain Acquires Ya.com for
Added ADSL Weight
Competitive Intelligence Report (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Aug 1, 2007]
he Spanish competition authorities have approved Orange Spain’s acquisition of Ya.com, giving the operator the number two position in the ADSL market and a more forceful FMC and quad play argument. Orange’s Spanish unit just got stronger.
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Current Perspective: |
Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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Bluesocket Acquires Pingtel for FMC Opportunity
Competitive Intelligence Report | Enterprise Communications
[Jul 26, 2007]
Consolidation has again struck the crowded enterprise communications industry in unusual fashion with Bluesocket’s acquisition of Pingtel. The combined company will have more assets at its disposal, but specific plans to leverage them are unclear.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate/High |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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Aastra Delivers Its Take on Dual Mode Handsets
Competitive Intelligence Report | Enterprise Communications
[Jul 24, 2007]
Aastra has taken its own tack on enterprise FMC solutions with a simplified, cost effective option. It will have value for some Aastra customers, but rivals will be quick to point out its functional shortcomings.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
High |
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Avaya Updates Dual-Mode Solution and Strategy
Competitive Intelligence Report | Enterprise Communications
[Jul 16, 2007]
Avaya releases an enterprise FMC solution, allowing it to sell products before competitors ship similar offerings. But enterprise buyers are still in tire-kicking mode when it comes to dual-mode telephony, limiting the value of a months-long lead.
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Best Practice From Abroad: What Hotspot @Home
Can Teach Us Europeans
Advisory Report (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Jul 5, 2007]
T-Mobile USA’ Hotspot @Home is ‘different’ in many respects. The US mobile operator can teach us Europeans a thing or two about UMA service innovation.
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BT Fusion Roadmap on the Right Track
Advisory Report (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Jun 29, 2007]
Take-up for the FMC BT Fusion product has been less than satisfactory to date, but the operator is working on fixing that. The roadmap points to several positive and innovative enhancements.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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NXTcomm 2007: Verizon Business Kickstarts FMC Efforts
with PBX Extension and Conferencing Services
Show Update | Enterprise Mobility - U.S. - [Jun 20, 2007]
Verizon Business launches PBX extension and mobile conferencing services; the carrier plunges into FMC or at least a more significant level of wireline/wireless integration.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
High |
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Orange France Enhances Unik with Hotspot Access,
Both Public and Private
Competitive Intelligence Report (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Jun 19, 2007]
Extending Unik to WiFi hotspots is a major Orange FMC milestone. Getting enterprise customers to build out Orange’s Unik WiFi hotspot network is nothing short of inspired. With sales of 250,000 units to date, Unik is on a roll.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
High |
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Orange France Unik Customers get Extended
Network Reach with 30,000 WiFi Hotspots
Competitive Update (Europe) | Business Telecom Services - Europe
[Jun 19, 2007]
Orange France’s move to extend Unik to 30,000 France-based WiFi hotspots represents a major milestone in the operator’s FMC strategy, and one that should both drive take-up and strengthen customer retention.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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Completel-Bouygues Fixed-mobile Partnership
Makes French FMC Market More Competitive
Competitive Intelligence Report | Business Telecom Services - Europe - [Jun 19, 2007]
The new Completel and Bouygues Telecom agreement creates a spring-board to address the corporate market more effectively. The arrangement gives complementary network assets and platforms for an integrated fixed-mobile services play.
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Current Perspective: |
Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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FMC Update: Neuf Cegetel Underlines Unlimited Multimedia with TWIN Tact
Competitive Update (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[May 29, 2007]
The arrival of TWIN Tact will help Neuf Cegetel underline TWIN’s multimedia advantages in the face of Orange Unik and SFR HappyZone. However, the essential TWIN pricing proposition remains the same.
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Enterprise FMC: Where are we on the journey?
Telebriefing Replay | Telecom & Wireless Services - Europe -
[May 16, 2007]
In this telebriefing, Sandra O´Boyle, Principal Analyst in Business Telecom Services and Mayur Sahni, Senior Analyst in Enterprise Mobility Europe, examine the drivers behind enterprise FMC, how various carriers are addressing the market and enterprise FMC services on offer in Europe today.
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Neuf Cegetel’s FMC Drive for Professionals: 9IPnet
Mobile and 9 Office Mobile Mail
Product Intelligence Report | Business Telecom Services - Europe - [May 8, 2007]
Neuf Cegetel is setting an aggressive agenda in the national French FMC market. The alternative player continues to develop integrated mobile data and partner to extend its WiFi footprint, thereby strengthening TWIN (GSM-WiFi hybrid phone).
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
High |
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BT Takes Corporate Fusion to France
Competitive Update | Enterprise Mobility - Europe
[Apr 27, 2007]
By announcing its plans to launch BT Corporate Fusion in France, BT has done well to implement its FMC rollout strategy effectively, making its service available in five European markets by mid-2007. However, is BT spreading itself too thin?
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Lessons Learned: The Rise and Fall of T-One
Advisory Report (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Apr 17, 2007]
Deutsche Telekom’s decision to kill its first FMC service, T- One, provides chilling insight into the marketing, provisioning and usability complexities inherent in launching a converged service.
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The Dawn of Enterprise FMC
Advisory Report | Enterprise Communications - [Apr 13, 2007]
Suppliers of the many new premises-based FMC solutions will need to compete on the basis of value-added features and at the same time take a conciliatory stance to the operators they are by and large cutting out of the sales equation.
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Homezone + DSL = FMC Killer?
Advisory Report | Enterprise Communications - [Apr 3, 2007]
SFR and Mobistar are the latest to outline a ‘homezone + DSL’ bundle strategy for a simpler, cleaner, handset-agnostic alternative to FMC. We believe this practice will spread in 2007.
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Second UMA Conference Roundup: Early Market Insights
Advisory Report (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Mar 27, 2007]
Orange excited delegates with robust Unik sales figures, but this probably won’t be enough to convince handset manufacturers to commit to significant UMA production. Service insights and ‘early lessons’, however, were in abundance.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
High |
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BT Sets Stage for Corporate Fusion Debut in Spain,
Gains MVNO Status as a Prelude
Competitive Intelligence Report | Enterprise Mobility - Europe - [Mar 26, 2007]
Entering into a MVNO agreement with Vodafone Spain, BT has carved out a niche for itself in the Spanish market as a business-focused MVNO. This strengthens BT’s position and sets the stage for launching its FMC service, Corporate Fusion, in Spain.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
High |
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CeBIT 2007: BT to Launch Corporate Fusion in Germany
Next Quarter
Show Update | Business Telecom Services - Europe [Mar 21, 2007]
BT unveiled Corporate Fusion at CeBIT 2007 and announced plans to offer the service in Germany in Q2 2007. Competition will intensify with T-Systems, while other carriers might have to enter the FMC game quicker than they had hoped.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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Siemens Goes Seamless with Dual-Mode Telephony Offering
Competitive Intelligence Report | Enterprise Communications - [Feb 28, 2007]
Siemens enters the FMC market with a very strong offering – a premises-based dual-mode telephony solution with seamless call handoffs. However, the market for such solutions is as yet small and the technology rather immature.
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Current Perspective: |
Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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KPN Mobile Launches ‘HomeZone’ Service, Unconvincingly
Competitive Update (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Feb 6, 2007]
KPN Mobile’s MobielThuis is a half-hearted competitive response to emerging FMS and FMC forces threatening to steal minutes from the Dutch incumbent. Given the extent of this threat, MobielThuis is weak.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
Low |
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Orange Business Services Launches ‘WiFi-Enabled’
Unik for Professionals
Competitive Update (Europe) | Enterprise Mobility - Europe [Jan 30, 2007]
Orange Business Services brings WiFi to its FMC offering with LiveBox Pro and launches ‘Unik for Professionals’ in the French market. However, the new Unik continues to fall behind industry peers in service features.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
Moderate |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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sunrise Dissolves Fixed and Mobile Units to Focus
on Business and Residential FMC
Competitive Intelligence Report | Business Telecom Services - Europe - [Jan 18, 2007]
TDC sunrise has followed the market trend by collapsing its fixed and mobile divisions to create two units focussing exclusively on business and residential customers. The move is positive, but not enough to counteract its gradual decline.
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Current Perspective: |
Positive/Neutral |
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Vendor Importance: |
High |
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Market Impact: |
Moderate |
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BT Unveils WiFi Fusion Service, with Openzone Hotspot Calling and Surfing
Competitive Update (Europe) | Wireless Services - Europe
[Jan 9, 2007]
BT’s new WiFi Fusion service for consumers adds hotspot calling and free mobile Internet surfing elements to the Fusion mix. Although Fusion take-up has been disappointing to date, these capabilities should help the service turn a corner.
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Current Analysis Roundtable: Are Enterprises Ready
for Fixed Mobile Convergence?
Advisory Report | Business Telecom Services - Europe - [Jan 4, 2007]
Fixed mobile convergence (FMC) is the “buzzword du jour” in an industry that loves to hype the next big thing. Despite the hype, enterprises do want transparent services across fixed and wireless environments, but integration has to happen first.
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Is the Market Ready
for Fixed Mobile Convergence?
Roundtable Discussion [Dec 2006]
Current Analysis convened a roundtable in London with a group of leading telecom journalists and a panel that included BT Global Services Director of Mobility Rakesh Mahajan, General Manager Enterprise VPN Users Association Ed Vonk and Current Analysis VP Analysis Jerry Caron to discuss whether enterprises are ready for FMC and whether the market is hype, reality or somewhere in between.
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Earlier FMC reports |
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| This Competitive Intelligence Spotlight features links to recent Current Analysis reports (subscription required), Competitive Intelligence Highlights, Analyst Show Flashes, presentations and other analysis and resources. |
| Industry Resources |
| Fixed-Mobile Convergence Alliance
 Mission: to be the voice of the customer for the evolution of Wireless Broadband and Convergence.
http://www.thefmca.com |
| Featured Analysts |
| Sandra O'Boyle
Research Director, Business Telecom Services Europe |
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| Brian Riggs
Research Director, Enterprise Communications |
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