HR Says Wireless, Wireline Converging

NEW YORK -- Telecom operators around the world are now laying the groundwork to deliver network services that will eliminate the barriers that now exist between wireless and wired phone services, according to a major new study released today by Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com), the market research division of Light Reading Inc.

Fixed-Mobile Convergence Reality Check explores the technology and service initiatives now underway around the world to bring about the convergence of wired and wireless networks. Based on direct input from dozens of technology vendors and network operators, as well as an exclusive survey of service provider professionals worldwide, this report delivers a clear, up-to-the-minute look at what is shaping up to be one of the most important developments in the history of the telecom industry.

The next three years will define the way that fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) will take root in the world's telecom networks, notes Graham Finnie, Heavy Reading Senior Analyst and author of the report. "Vendors and service providers have consistently targeted 2006-07 as the period in which FMC will make the transition from theory to reality," Finnie writes. "This means that the time to prepare for FMC is already at hand."

Other key findings of the report include:

Fixed-mobile convergence will take place first in the core network. Carriers are most interested in integrating their backbone wireline and wireless networks to cut costs and eliminate redundancies. The industry move to Internet Protocol (IP) networks already is under way, and IP will be the unifying force at the network core.

End-user devices will require a mix of different wired and wireless access options, because no one technology will dominate. In the wireless world, for example, emerging technologies such as WiFi and WiMax will coexist as access options. All communications devices will come equipped with a range of wired and wireless access technologies, so that users can take advantage of the best available connection.

The biggest challenges to fixed-mobile convergence may be organizational and political, rather than technological. While equipment suppliers are confident that the technical barriers between wireless and wired services can be breached, it remains to be seen how long the organizational and institutional barriers separating wireless and wired network operators will remain.

The report is based on extensive interviews with key network operators and equipment vendors, as well as an exclusive online survey of more than 100 service provider professionals worldwide to determine carrier attitudes and expectations regarding wireless and wireline network and service convergence. Together, the interviews and survey results offer a thorough and accurate portrayal of how FMC is perceived in the telecom industry today, and what the most likely steps in its evolution will be.

Fixed-Mobile Convergence Reality Check, a 59-page report, is published in PDF format and costs $2,495. The price includes an enterprise license covering all of the employees at the purchaser's company as well as access to a downloadable database of survey results.

For more information, or to request a free executive summary, contact:

Dave Williams
Sales Director, Heavy Reading
415-321-3750, ext. 30
[email protected]


Press/analyst contact:

Dennis Mendyk
Managing Director, Heavy Reading
201-587-2154
[email protected]


About Heavy Reading
Heavy Reading is an independent market research organization offering quantitative analysis of telecom technology to service providers, vendors, and investors. Its mandate is to provide the comprehensive competitive analysis needed today for the deployment of profitable networks based on next-generation hardware and software.