BT and Orange lead the way in the UK

BT's recent launch of a converged telephone service aimed at small to medium-sized enterprises will help reinforce the spread of fixed/mobile systems into the world of business, industry watchers reported today.

According to a recent study from ABI Research, there will be at least a tenfold increase in enterprise fixed/mobile subscribers and revenues between 2006 and 2010.

"Convergence in the enterprise is more complicated than simply installing a wireless local area network access point," said ABI Research analyst Ian Cox.

"The entire PBX infrastructure needs to be converted to an IP PBX and integrated with the corporate wide area network to gain the benefits of free on-net VoIP calls.

"At the same time, using a converged handset indoors will remove mobile call charges and reduce costs accordingly."

The BT offering, dubbed Business Plan for Fixed and Mobile, is aimed at companies spending over £5,000 annually for their phone use.

The service provides a single bill for both fixed and mobile services, a billing analyser and capped fixed-to-mobile charges.

Orange launched its own business-oriented convergence plan last month, and BT's Fusion offering has been available for very small businesses since September.

Industry observers have suggested that the spate of new business-slanted convergence products will increase the pressure on other large operators to address this market.