Integrator Telindus is hoping to set the fixed mobile convergence (FMC) market alight with its latest dedicated service.
Developed in partnership with Divitas, Picocells, Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia and Cisco, the Telindus Collaborative Working portfolio of services, helps firms deploy mobile technologies by combining Wi-Fi and public/private mobile networks using a single handheld device.
According to recent research by analyst firm IDC, shipments of converged mobile devices such as smartphones, PDA-style phones and BlackBerries will increase by 54 per cent by 2011.
Speaking to CRN, James Walker, head of innovation at Telindus, said: “We have always been strong in mobility and voice and data, but we have been working on remote applications to help people work more effectively.
“A number of these technologies are mature to a degree, but no-one has created a complete solution until now.”
Walker added the service was primarily aimed at firms with 250 employees and above, but Telindus was working closely with its partners to create services that can be used by small office/home office and SME customers.
The integrator is also planning to develop the services further as demand increases, he said.
Robert Bamforth, principle analyst at Quocirca, said: “FMC is definitely a complicated but growing area,” he said. “Businesses have faced problems tackling the issue because they want the same low prices of using fixed phones, but with the flexibility of using mobile technology. To have a service outside the operator community that simplifies this issue is a good move.”
Bamforth said competition in the FMC arena will start to hot up.
“There are going to be plenty of people that want to address the issue. Both the big players as well as the moderate sized integrators will want to get involved and you also cannot rule out the operators,” he said. “But getting into the market early is a sensible move on Telindus’ part.”
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