Mobile UC: the ultimate end game
By Rich Watson
,
Network World
, 04/09/2008
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Staying connected with customers, partners and co-workers is vital in today’s competitive economy. Missed calls can result
in lost opportunities and can weaken companywide job performance. Integrating cell phone and Wi-Fi environments, and adding
the benefits of presence and instant messaging, is the holy grail. Call it mobile unified communications (UC).
Mobile UC makes it possible for a smartphone to seamlessly roam between cellular and corporate Wi-Fi worlds, and support unified communications tools such as e-mail, presence, IM and contacts, and PBX desk-phone functions such as extension dialing, call forwarding
and call transfer.
Mobile UC phones behave like desk phones, which means users carry just one device and can be reached using a single business
telephone number. Mobile UC users are more productive because they can be reached regardless of where they are, such as roaming
or sitting at their desk with a phone and PC at arm’s reach.
How mobile UC works
A total mobile UC solution consists of a server, installed on the corporate LAN, and a client installed on a smartphone. When
a mobile UC user is in the office and in range of Wi-Fi, the handset client associates with the wireless LAN. The client conforms to the network security requirements and registers with the configured server after successful authentication and authorization. Once connected,
phone calls may be made from, or received by, the client over the Wi-Fi network using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) configured
to the local hosting PBX.
Calls made from the mobile handset behave as if they were being made from a PBX desktop extension. They support standard PBX
features and display the business PBX caller ID for calls to local or public switched telephone network, or PSTN, phone numbers.
When the user leaves the building the handset client utilizes standard cellular (GSM or CDMA) networks to register with the
corporate mobile UC server. Support of capabilities such as presence, visual voice mail and secure IM is achieved without
any extended service provider network enhancements. Voice calls are placed and received using the cellular voice bearer channel.
Mobile UC is economic/business justifiedBy Rich Watson on May 19, 2008, 7:58 pmMobile UC (of which FMC is a core component) actually leverages a company’s existing WLAN and PBX investments, which leads to a faster ROI because it helps offset...
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FMC A Non StarterBy Anonymous on May 19, 2008, 12:08 amNo company has ever been able to show an economic or business justification for the automated hand-off feature of FMC. When all the additional costs are added into...
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