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Tuesday, 27 May 2008 |
DoCoMo to launch
Japan
’s first consumer FMC service…
NTT DoCoMo and its eight regional subsidiaries today announced a service that will enable DoCoMo FOMA™ 3G handsets to connect to home broadband networks via wireless LAN routers. Home U™,
Japan
's first consumer service for fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), will provide mobile phone users with 54Mbits/s high-speed packet communication and voice over IP (VoIP), beginning in June.
VoIP calls to other Home U users will be free of charge, and to non-Home U users will be 30% cheaper than normal FOMA charges. Initially, the service will be compatible with the N906iL onefone™, a mobile/W-LAN dual handset that will be sold from the same day that the service starts.
And in other regional FMC news a recent IDC study suggests that converged telecommunication in its various forms is finding its way to Central and
Eastern Europe
as the region's markets mature and operators seek competitive differentiation. The IDC analysis concludes that FMC technologies and business models have undergone extensive trials in other markets and are ready for business in CEE.
“Central and
Eastern Europe
has lagged behind Western countries in fixed-mobile convergence, which stems from the different stages of development of these markets,” opines Andrew Hicks, senior analyst, Telecommunications, IDC CEMA. “The advantage is that carriers here can benefit from others' mistakes and successes.”
“It's important for the region's carriers to examine their target customers and decide on their major business needs, since a variety of different technologies fall under this rubric,” continues Hicks. “The time to define approaches to fixed-mobile convergence is now, since a potential service offering years in the future can affect infrastructure and strategic planning today.”
IDC’s ‘Fixed-Mobile Convergence Strategies Among Central and Eastern European Operators’ analysis looks at three varieties of FMC – PBX extensions, femtocells, and handsets that operate on both Wi-Fi and mobile networks – and their applications in CEE markets. The study provides a definition of FMC, identifies CEE business opportunities and promising customer segments, and discusses FMC’s strengths and weaknesses versus fixed-mobile substitution (FMS).
John Williamson |
