Fixed Mobile Convergence

Calypso sues T-Mobile USA over Hotspot@Home service

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:03:11 -0500

FMC company Calypso Wireless has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against T-Mobile USA, charging that the operator violates its patent pertaining to how T-Mobile switches callers between GSM and WiFi connections.

T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service has been in operation since June 2007, and has been steadily increasing the number of devices that can take advantage of the service. T-Mobile said in a statement that "based on its preliminary review the company believes that Calypso Wireless's allegations are without merit." T-Mobile said it intends to defend itself vigorously in this case."

For more:
- read FierceWireless
- check out this release

Related Article:
T-Mobile adds to its HotSpot@Home lineup

Study: Employees will embrace FMC if it's available

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:13:42 -0400

A new study conducted by OnRelay indicates employees will embrace fixed mobile convergence (FMC) technology if it's available. Article

Verizon plans femtocell rollout this year

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone said at the CTIA Wireless 2008 trade show last week that the carrier would begin offering femtocell products and service plans sometime this year. The announcement follows a move by Sprint into the femtocell arena. AT&T also is said to be evaluating a femtocell offering.

What remains to be seen is what Verizon will charge for the femtocell device and the service plan. Sprint charges around $50 for the product and $15 per month for service. Verizon's commitment, broader than Sprint's thus far and the only one by a U.S. telco that has both local wireline and wireless networks, may well bring femtocell deployment to its tipping point in the U.S. market.

To read more about Verizon's femtocell plans:
- take a look at this article from AP

Also, check out our recent webinar: Fixed Mobile Convergence:
Are femtocells and UMA/WiFi solutions competitive or complementary?

Related articles:
Sprint formally launches femtocell, Airave Report
Nokia Siemens and Ubiquisys jointly push femtocells Report
Cisco pours cash into U.K. femtocell developer Report
Operators want femtocells Report

Sonera looks to migrate fixed users to wireless

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

TeliaSonera's Finnish division, Sonera, has publicly admitted that it will begin migrating end users from its fixed network to its wireless businesses in rural areas. Sonera is seeking regulatory approval to migrate both voice and broadband users once wireless technology is available to make the transition.

"Instead of spending millions of euros to replace hundreds of thousands of telephone poles that are approaching the end of their lifecycle, Sonera has decided to invest in modern, wireless technology," said Juha-Pekka Weckström, senior vice-president of TeliaSonera Broadband Services Finland. "This allows us to safeguard the continuity of our customers' telecom services in sparsely-populated areas, and we are convinced that the customers will notice the benefits of the change," he added.

Sonera's move will likely make it the first former incumbent in Western Europe to adopted a fixed-to-mobile substitution plan publicly. The operator says that as much as half of its fixed network in sparsely populated areas is now idle as the number of customers drops by 10 percent to 15 percent a year.

In September, TeliaSonera made a deal in Finland to provision wireless broadband services from Digita Oy's Flash-OFDM broadband network that operates in the 450 MHz band. TeliaSonera is using the technology as a way to cost effectively extend the reach of its fixed broadband services in more difficult-to-reach areas of Finland.

For more about TeliaSonera's plans:
- read this analysis from Communications Direct

Related articles:
- TeliaSonera nears FMC launch Report
- TeliaSonera Finland uses Flash-OFDM as fixed play Report

SPOTLIGHT: Study: Femtocells to dominate FMC market by 2010

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:59:52 -0400

A new report about the femtocell market from Forward Concepts says femtocells will capture the dominant fixed mobile convergence (FMC) market share by 2010. UMA will ultimately transition to IMS-enabled femtocells as UMA is seen as a transitional technology. In addition, global femtocell equipment revenues are expected to grow into a $4.9 billion market by 2012, with Western Europe leading the way followed by North America. Release

3GPP adds 3G support to UMA standard

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

The 3GPP standards group has approved a specification update that will see 3G support added to the UMA/GAN standard. This move should help developers of UMA-based 3G dual-mode handsets and femtocell products with their delivery plans to mobile operators considering the commercial deployment of FMC services.

According to Stéphane Téral, an industry analyst with the market research firm Infonetics, the addition of 3G support is an important step in supporting in-home 3G service delivery. "Operators and vendors alike have recognized the need for standardization to drive mass-market femtocell network deployments."

Qualcomm and NXP have both made recent announcements about their involvement in the dual-mode UMA handset market, while Motorola, Ubiquisys and Netgear are already working with operators (e.g. O2 and Telia) on testing femtocells.

For more about the 3GPP's specification:
- read this article from TMCnet
- take a look at this report from 3G.co.uk

Related articles:
UMA out of favor at Telecom Italia Report
T-Mobile USA introduces nationwide UMA services Report

T-Mobile UK bundles unlimited WiFi with 3G plans

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:59:53 -0500

Could T-Mobile UK's move be replicated in the U.S. once T-Mobile USA rolls out its 3G network? T-Mobile UK announced that it is bundling unlimited WiFi access with its Web'n'Walk Plus and Max 3G service plans. For an extra $18 per month, UK users can access the Internet using their laptops over 3G HSDPA and WiFi. T-Mobile UK has about 1,000 WiFi hotspots in the UK in locations such as Starbucks coffee shops, airports, train stations and service stations.

For more about T-Mobile UK's move to bundle 3G and WiFi access:
- read this article from telecoms.com

Related articles:
T-Mobile offers WiFi Blackberry Article
T-Mobile jumps into FMC pool Article

Prediction: Femtocells still have a long road in 2008

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

On the flip side, femtocells are just entering the over-inflated-expectations phase of the "Hype Cycle." These router-sized mobile home base stations hold a lot of promise for operators: reduced capex, increased coverage and cheaper services to name a few. Still, a plethora of technical and business problems remain, including a lack of a standard, network integration and cost assumptions. And FMC solutions that involved WiFi are finally making inroads with the number of attractive handsets that are needed to effectively entice consumers. Expect to continue to hear a lot about the potential of femtocells with few deployments that have a market impact.

Nortel, Qualcomm test new FMC solution

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Nortel and Qualcomm announced they have tested a solution that that offers the ability to move between WiFi and cellular networks. The two say the solution will help accelerate fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) because it relies on Nortel's IMS-based Voice Call Continuity (VCC) network solution. VCC-ready phones can be available upon purchase without any additional software downloads or service-provider provisioning.

Testing was conducted using Qualcomm's IMS/VCC device client solution on a Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipset powering a test handset together with Nortel's IMS VCC network solution in Nortel's Ottawa research and development labs. The Nortel VCC network solution is expected to be commercially available from Nortel in the first quarter of 2008. VCC-ready devices are expected to be available from Qualcomm in the market mid 2008.

For more about the announcement from Nortel and Qualcomm:
- read this report from Mobile Tech News

XO, Sotto Wireless launch trial enterprise FMC

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:59:54 -0500

XO Communications and Sotto wireless announced a trial of a fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) solution for businesses in Seattle. The XO-Sotto FMC solution, called Unwired Office, combines XO's nationwide IP networking capabilities with Sotto's all-in-one wireless and office phone communications service to offer an integrated fixed and wireless service on a single platform with one smartphone that can be used in the office or outside of it for voice, email and Internet access as well as optional IP desk phones.

The service uses dual-mode smartphones from Nokia, such as the Nokia E61i, that feature both office WiFi and cellular network connectivity options, full keyboards, and productivity applications. The hybrid wireless capabilities allow employees to use the Nokia smartphones to make calls over WiFi networks and use cellular networks when employees are away from the office.

To read more:
- take a look at this release

Femto Forum attracts big guns

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

The Femto Forum, a new industry group formed in July that is pushing femtocell technology, announced a big jump in its membership. The group, which started out with just seven companies, now has 40 members. The group started with some rather small players: Airvana, ip.access, Netgear, PicoChip, RadioFrame, Tatara and Ubiquisys. And everyone was wondering if some bigger names would be attracted to the forum. Now new members include Alcatel-Lucent, NEC, Nokia Siemens Networks, Motorola, and ZTE. Operators have also joined the ranks: Bharti Airtel in India, Bouygues Telecom, Carphone Warehouse Networks, Orsacom Telecom and Telefonica 02.

Femtocells are being billed as the next big thing in fixed-mobile convergence, promising to solve many of the shortcomings faced so far by many existing WiFi/cellular FMC services, namely a lack of compelling handsets and perceived complexity of the solution. Femtocells are envisioned to enable mobile operators to offer micro base stations for use in subscribers' homes or officers to deliver voice and data at carrier-grade quality at cheaper costs for operators and customers.

The Forum is now working with carriers to ensure product interoperability and commercial readiness. The Forum has also developed four working groups: standardization, network issues such as interoperability regulation and marketing and promotion of business models.

To read more about the Femto Forum's progress:
- check out this article from telecoms.com

Aruba jumps on 802.11n bandwagon

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:59:55 -0500

Enterprise WiFi infrastructure provider Aruba Network, the last major 802.11n holdout, announced its is entering the 802.11n access point game. The vendor announced a new generation of multi-service mobility controllers to enable unified communications such as FMC, along with 802.11n access points.

Earlier this year, Aruba had said that 802.11n wasn't ready for the enterprise since the standard wasn't finished. Cisco also warned that the draft 802.11n product had no guarantee of working together. But Cisco jumped into the 802.11n space in September.

What has changed? Michael Tennefoss, director of strategic marketing, told FierceBroadbandWireless that the draft 802.11n standard is far enough along that the company is convinced the final standard won't deviate much from the draft standard. Secondly, the company was sitting on its new 802.11n access point since June, but it was waiting for the second generation of chips that showed improvement in power consumption.

My how things can change in the matter of months. Cisco and Aruba, the two biggest vendors in the enterprise WiFi space, had earlier declared that most customers didn't need the throughput of 802.11n. Now many enterprises are pushing video services and looking for strategic replacement of of the wired Ethernet in certain areas of their businesses. 802.11n significantly improves data throughput and coverage of existing 802.11-based technologies.

"We're now at a point that customer can choose which is better: copper or wireless," Tennefoss said. "N has leveled the playing field with copper with respect to connectivity and performance."

For more about Aruba's 802.11n plans:
- check out this release

ALSO NOTED: Telmex launches mobile WiMAX in Chile; Vendors lukewarm about FMC in the enterprise; and much more...

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:51 -0400

> Telmex launched mobile WiMAX in Chile. Article

> China plans to use TD-SCDMA technology during the 2008 Olympic Games. Article

> Canadian operator Rogers Rogers has begun field trials of its 7.2 Mbps wireless HSPA service. Article

> Vendors lukewarm about FMC in the enterprise. Article

> HSPDA will overtake WiMAX as the preferred technology within Taiwan over the next two to three years, according to Taiwan Mobile's chief business officer Cliff Lai. Article

And Finally... Check out our photos from the CTIA I.T. show last week.

Yankee Group: FMC marketing must change

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:53 -0400

According to Yankee Group research, enterprise adoption of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) remains low, with only 2 percent of large enterprises in Europe deploying FMC and even fewer in the U.S. and Canada. The firm says competition from alternative mobility initiatives, technological immaturity and reduced priority placed on voice communications by IT decision-makers have contributed to the low adoption rate. In addition, 29 percent of large enterprise IT decision-makers surveyed in the U.S. consider the technology "nice to have," but not a "critical" application on their IT/networking road map.

As such, Yankee Group says these statistics don't bode well for FMC in the form that carriers are marketing it. Carriers are pushing the idea that FMC can reduce costs for the enterprise. Yankee Group recommends that the focus needs to shift from cost reduction to an emphasis on productivity.

For more about Yankee Group's views on FMC:
- read this article from Tekrati

Related Article:
Yankee Group: Enterprise FMC half baked

Sprint plans WiMAX push in the enterprise

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Will Sprint put a big dent in the market for fixed-mobile-convergence in the enterprise? The operator has revealed it plans to work with enterprises on the rollout of its WiMAX network, enabling businesses to install femtocells inside their office environments and take advantage of automatic roaming onto the carrier's WiMAX network outside.

The advantage for enterprises, said Atish Gude, senior vice president of mobile broadband operations at Sprint, is that the service will be similar to WiFi but more secure and with easy roaming onto a carrier network. Sprint has issued RFPs for WiMax femtocells, and the carrier expects large enterprises to buy and deploy femtocells for consistent coverage across their offices and campuses, maintaining control over them as they do with current WiFi networks.

For more about Sprint's WiMAX plans in the enterprise:
- read this article from IDG News Service

Related articles:
Sprint details WiMAX, PTT and femtocell plans
Sprint to launch WiMAX in Chicago and D.C. first
Intel, partners heat up race for WiMAX
Google invests in femtocell company

ALSO NOTED: Court grants Truphone injunction against T-Mobile in U.K.; Proxim builds broadband wireless system in Croatia; and

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> A U.K. high court granted Truphone an injunction to require T-Mobile to put the FMC carrier's calls through. Article

> Proxim Wireless announced it will build a broadband wireless system for the City of Rijeka, Croatia. Release

And Finally... Samsung Electronics will make a special 18-carat gold-plated mobile phone in China to mark next year's Olympics in Beijing. Article

Nokia Siemens unveils 3G femtocell

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:59:55 -0400

On the same day the newly formed Femto Forum was commencing its conference in the U.K., Nokia Siemens launched a 3G femtocell and a network gateway to allow operators to manage multiple femtocells in subscribers' homes. But it made no mention of the Femto Forum.

Femtocells are being billed as the next big thing in fixed-mobile convergence, promising to solve many of the shortcomings faced so far by several existing WiFi/cellular FMC services, namely a lack of compelling handsets and perceived complexity of the solution. The Femto Forum aims to create a standard for femtocells, designed to drive down the cost and encourage mobile operators to jump in.

Nokia Siemens' gateway plugs into an operator's core network and is designed to manage femtocells from multiple vendors, but Nokia Siemens has announced that other vendors will have to make sure their femtocells conform to a proprietary interface.

The Femto Forum hopes to get Nokia Siemens on board, but at present, any other vendors will have to rely on Nokia Siemens, which promises to "co-operate with femto vendors to ensure interoperability of their equipment to the Nokia Siemens Networks interface."

For more about Nokia Siemens' 3G femtocell:
- read this report from Techworld

ABI: WiFi/mobile service to give way to femtocells

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:59:54 -0400

ABI Research predicts that despite the early lead of WiFi/mobile phone service, femtocells will be the technology of choice for consumer fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) services. According to the firm, mobile operators such as Vodafone, SFR, Softbank and Sprint are at the leading edge among carriers exploring femtocell technologies. Femtocells are attractive because the technology works with any handset, and they have the potential to encourage high data use, ABI said.

For more about ABI's predictions:
- read this release

SPOTLIGHT: Early adopters want WiFi/cellular phones

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:59:52 -0400

A recent survey of U.S. early adopters found that nearly half of those respondents planning to replace their mobile phones want WiFi capability. That news bodes well for T-Mobile, which is set to roll out its FMC service shortly. In-Stat notes that more than 100 different models of WiFi/mobile phones will be certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance by the end of the year. Moreover, many of the issues with early Wi-Fi/mobile handsets, such as limited battery life, will be resolved in models released during 2007, the research firm said. Release

SPOTLIGHT: Report: 170 million FMC subscribers by 2012

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:59:52 -0400

A new report from Informa Telecoms & Media says fixed-mobile convergence customers will number 170 million by 2012, generating $33.4 billion in revenue. That's if cooperation increases among all the players in the value chain. Article