DiVitas Grabs VC CashDiVitas Grabs VC Cash

Enterprise-focused fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) startup DiVitas Networks Inc. has grabbed $15 million in its series B round of venture funding and is now hoping to make its first products generally available either before the end of the year or early in 2007, according to CEO Vivek Khuller.

Menlo Ventures led the new round with participation from existing investor Clearstone Venture Partners . The new money takes Divitas's total venture haul to $23 million.

The firm, which is a little over a year old, is something of a hot ticket in the FMC market. (See The DiVitas Code.) The startup is already working with Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), Symbol Technologies Inc. (NYSE: SBL), and Trapeze Networks Inc. on incorporating its technology into PBX- and WLAN-based convergence systems although its own offerings are not commercially available to enterprise users yet.

The company has an appliance that talks to "any" enterprise PBX and handles WiFi roaming and call handovers between cellular and WiFi networks. The concept is that the DiVitas box will allow network managers to manage convergence on the campus rather than ceding control to wireless carriers. (see Convergent Insurgent and Convergent Insurgent and Control Issues.)

This is the key difference between DiVitas's kit and other FMC specifications such as unlicensed mobile access (UMA) technology, Khuller tells Unstrung. "We never see UMA in the field," he says. (See UMA : Next Year's Model?.)

Of course, it's still early days for all FMC technology. Khuller says that DiVitas's technology will be generally available "at the end of this year... or early 2007."

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung