Sonus Networks, which provides IP-based voice and multimedia gateways, switches and servers to leading service providers, says a push toward converged fixed and mobile networks will create new enterprise applications and reduce costs.

Based in Chelmsford, Mass., Sonus has among its customers Global Crossing, Earthlink, Vonage, AOL and Cingular. Two market research firms - Infonetics Research and Synergy Research - recently named Sonus first in marketshare for high-density media gateways and VoIP equipment used by carriers.

I recently interviewed Bruce Trvalik, director of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Strategy for Sonus, about trends he is seeing in the enterprise market. Here are excerpts from our conversation:

Q. What outlook do you see for IMS-based services in multinational corporations?

A. The consumer market is certainly huge, but every carrier I talk to tends to desire the enterprise customer the most because he is more likely to go for higher-end features. Right now, in fixed/mobile convergence, a lot of the energy is in the development of dual-mode mobile handsets [that can handle both 802.11 and cellular wireless]. Last year, a lot of the mobile carriers were opposed to fixed/mobile convergence because they saw this as a way for wireline carriers to steal their customers. Now mobile carriers are starting to see fixed/mobile convergence as a way for them to offer a bundle of services for the enterprise. In Europe, mobile carriers are starting to offer mobile over Wi-Fi at a reduced rate or zero rate, which is a pretty attractive way for the enterprise to cut costs. Before, mobile carriers saw Wi-Fi and WiMAX as a threat. Now they see they can provide access to enterprise applications from a variety of devices such as mobile phones.

Q. How are service providers gearing up to offer IMS-based services to the enterprise market?

A. Carriers often have customers who have mission-critical applications like Oracle or SAP. If they could IVR [interactive voice response] enable those applications as a special service for a particular big multinational, they would be reaching into the data world and enhancing existing services. Service providers don’t have to offer the brand new killer application. Instead, it may be taking a variety of ways that people already communicate and make them more usable, more successful and more convenient.