Convergence to generate billions

In the next five years, fixed-mobile convergence will generate more than $35 billion in revenue for service providers and hardware vendors, according to a new study from Insight Research, reports Information Week.

Fixed-mobile convergence, or FMC, typically refers to the integration of wireline and wireless technologies. Mobile devices that use the technology can make mobile calls using cellular networks, use WiFi hotspots or wireless local area networks for Internet access, and make voice over IP calls.

The underlying technology for fixed-mobile convergence is the Internet Protocol, which enables new services like peer-to-peer communications on mobile devices.

WeatherBug, a brand of Germantown-based AWS Convergence Technologies, has outfitted San Antonio's emergency operations centre with its system to track live weather conditions, says Biz Journals.

The Germantown-based company, which sells live local weather information services, is delivering its technology to regions that face hurricane threats.

The San Antonio centre will use WeatherBug's services to pinpoint severe weather and communicate with local emergency response teams. It has partnerships with more than 80 broadcasters.

Sun Microsystems has combined its storage and server product teams into a systems group focused on the convergence of computing, storage and networking, reports Information Week.

Sun chief executive Jonathan Schwartz said combining the three technologies is exactly what data centre administrators want to hear, given that they are the ones in charge of the interactions among the trio.

"We want to be in a position to innovate on their behalf, at the system level, beyond the boxes - across blades, racks, disk and tape," Schwartz said in his blog.