Introduction to and advantages of Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC)

This article gives a small introduction to what is fixed mobile convergence and then talks in detail about the various advantages of fixed mobile convergence and how companies can save costs and enable newer applications by integrating their wired line IP Phone systems with the wireless network and cellular network.

What is Fixed Mobile Convergence?

Any company has a PBX system for internal and external communications. Most of the companies have adopted IP PBX and IP Phones throughout their enterprise. The official calls made from the IP Phones go through the trunk lines connected to the PBX. There are two types of trunk lines – Digital trunks (ISDN, PRI, Analog etc.) and SIP or IP Trunks.

Cellular networks are present almost everywhere. Employees are given cellular connections by the company, which they use frequently to communicate on official matters.

Wi-Fi Networks or Wireless networks are also present in most of the companies. Companies use them primarily to access data and connect to the internet.

Fixed Mobile Convergence or FMC is the integration of all the above three network components to make communication devices  aware of when to use which network in order to decide on the optimum and cost effective network to be used at various situations. FMC is achieved by different vendors in different ways.
For example, a dual-mode cellular handset used by an employee can also be registered as a SIP client in the company IP PBX and can connect to the IP PBX via a wireless network. Now, the employee can use both the cellular network as well as the wi-fi network (through IP PBX) to make phone calls outside. The employee can also receive both the land line calls (SIP extension) as well as the mobile calls (Cellular) in the same handset.
Advantages of Fixed Mobile Convergence:

¤ When the company provides dual mode cell phone handsets to the employees to connect to the cellular network, the same phone could also connect to the Wi-Fi network when inside the company premises and route the calls through the corporate PBX than the cellular network. This saves a lot of cost when employees are in roaming(cell networks) and when employees make outgoing calls through their cell phones from inside the company, which they tend to do.

¤ Making calls with the cellular network is not the same as making calls through the corporate PBX as many corporate companies get a good calling rates on their SIP or IP trunks (for bulk usage) and also the PRI/Analog trunks.

¤ When the employees make long distance calls through their cell phones while within their company premises, it is expensive to the company as most of the companies reimburse the cell phone charges of their employees. When the same long distance call is routed through the SIP or IP trunk, the charges are very less when compared to the cellular networks. This translates into a huge cost savings for international calls.

¤ Employees can be accessed through a single number. That means, there need not be a separate land line number (IP Phone) and separate number for cell phones. They could be accessed with one number (Say, the corporate no) and if they are not present at their office, the call is automatically routed to their cell phones by the corporate PBX. So, the employees are always accessible to their customers and the management. It imporoves the productivity.

¤ Some FMC vendors also integrate the voice mail and single voice mail saves time and gives easy access to the voice mails from their desk phones as well as cell phones.

¤ The number of IP Phones can be reduced for employees who travel very frequently as the dual mode handset (cell phone) can be configured as an extension in the PBX and they could use that for both desk phone and cell phone.

¤ Communications between the various branches of the company do not incur high recurring charges. Generally, people tend to call their colleagues very frequently, and most of the time, over their cell phones.

¤ Some FMC solutions also allow for call restrictions and call monitoring on the dual mode Cell phones which help the company keep track of their employee activities and at the cell phone could be returned to the organization once the employee leaves the job. The contacts and the phone number is still the property of the company, this way.

¤ Some FMC vendors allow for simultaneous ringing between their cell phones and desk phones and the call gets routed to the network where the employee picks up the call.

¤ Some FMC vendors also support automatic switch over of calls from the Company network (Wi-Fi) to the cellular network (GSM, CDMA) and vice versa so that if an employee is talking to a customer while in the office premises (Wi-Fi) and he goes out of the company premises while continuing the call, the call is automatically switched from Wi-Fi to cellular. The exact reverse situation is also possible. This ensures that the call continues in the most optimum and most feasible network that is available.