Every business needs a solution for fixed and mobile communications. Their solution must be flexible and scalable, and it must work on any mobile phone. Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) makes this is possible. Your business can shift its workload seamlessly, following patterns of behaviour with employees in how they need and want to work. When you streamline your communications, your business can open the door to staff being able to work remotely and more flexibly. It also works wherever they are, improving their productivity and the way that they respond to customers. With convergence, a business can make both their customers and staff happy. Some of the biggest benefits of fixed-mobile convergence include improved resource management, superior caller experience, and enhanced call management.

What is Fixed Mobile Convergence?

This term has been around the industry in the past few years as the next best thing in mobile communications. Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) simply put is the ability for a user to seamlessly switch from a desk phone to a mobile device, or vice-versa, without interrupting the ongoing call.

This functionality and benefits are truly of great convenience for the world’s busy employees. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could just have one phone that worked everywhere, regardless of where you are?

If you’ve ever missed a call, you know how unpleasant it is to drop your connection, so something in your phone system has to keep track of which network you’re connected to, which networks are at your disposal, and effortlessly switch between them. Fixed-mobile convergence enables you to do that.

You can take a 4G or 5G call from your home, then go anywhere you want as long as there is still mobile service, or WiFi service without having to hang up or switch off your phones. This is what the Industry calls Voice-Call Continuity.
Fixed-mobile convergence allows you also to benefit from Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) when you can connect to the Internet, not having to spend expensive mobile phone minutes, and retaining a single number for your customers, colleagues and family.

The coverage for your IOS or Android mobile would also be expanded by the possibility to use WiFi, in particular within buildings where it can be hard to obtain cell service. Thanks to fixed-mobile convergence, without losing your call, it is possible to call through the WiFi network of your office, then go outside and connect to your cellular system, then connect back up to the WiFi network at the restaurant.

Advantages of Fixed Mobile Convergence

Here are some of the biggest advantages of fixed mobile convergence:

• You quickly learn that making calls through the cellular network is not the same as going through the company phone system. You can take advantage of VoIP services which can save you money on mobile calls.
• Flexibility, in that your employees can use their mobile phones while roaming anywhere in the world as an extension of your internal company VOIP network. Staff can remain connected 7/24 when they are traveling, away on a business trip or working from home.
• Business continuity because our employees can now be reached on a single number, and any outgoing calls will be displayed as your business number. One number can call everyone whether they are physically present at the office or not. This ensures that your staff are always available to their customers and the management team.
• There is a follow-on benefit from this in companies with high churn rates e.g. recruiters, staff no longer give out their personal mobile numbers, rather the called business numbers are retained by the candidates or customers long after the employee has left along with their mobile!
• Key office phone system features are available on the go. Mobile workers can benefit from the same office features such as voicemail, call transfer, call directory, and operator assistance.
• Connectivity choices, as now staff can connect to the business WIFI network when they are in range and calls can be transferred between the WIFI network and public mobile network. This can reduce the cost of mobile plans.

All of this together adds up to better productivity of your staff, which makes for a far smoother running of the business.

What is Mobile-To-Mobile Convergence?

Mobile-to-mobile convergence (MMC) is an exciting technology that helps mobile devices connect to a variety of networks and make an automatic switch between the WiFi connection and the cellular network without manual help. It is a smooth replacement for the standard wireless and cellular solutions and you can enable it across any mobile phone with the right hardware. Smartphones and devices that are softphone-equipped are able to switch seamlessly between cellular and WiFi networks. 

It is important not to confuse mobile-to-mobile convergence with fixed-mobile convergence. A provider is required to permit the handoff between WiFi and 4G/5G mobile networks in fixed-mobile convergence, while the devices that rely on mobile-to-mobile convergence do not rely on a service provider to go from one system to another. Instead, it is a straightforward and easy action that can even work in areas where the original provider is unavailable. When you set it up correctly, it is easy to switch between networks. The switch typically has no delays, and when you disconnect from one network to the other, you can do so without any problems.

Advantages of Mobile-to-Mobile Convergence

There are plenty of benefits to investing in a mobile-to-mobile convergence, and these include:

• Functionality with the PBX
• Support for devices that work on dual-mode
• Can easily integrate with a wide area network
• Easy and seamless roaming between WiFi and cellular networks
• You can use a range of applications like CRM and IM without interruption
• Workforce management incorporating mobile devices
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With Gulaga Networks, you can invest in the right mobile convergence solution for your business. Unified communications are not just one single technology. It is a collection of several technologies integrated together to deliver productivity benefits and an enhanced customer experience. It uses fixed-line telephone, a traditional PBX or IP PBX, VoIP, mobile devices, SIM cards, fax, video and more to provide real-time communications across technologies and across devices.

Your business needs connectivity and convergence, and our solutions go so far beyond the basic cloud system. We aim to take you through your current business connectivity and the issues it presents, and introduce you to new systems and solutions to make life easier for you. Engage with Gulaga. Let us show you the answers. We can take you and your business beyond the cloud.