Telkom joins convergence alliance

By Rodney Weidemann for Telkom
Johannesburg, 18 May 2005

Telkom has joined the Fixed-Mobile Convergence Alliance (FMCA), an organisation that has played a role in shaping the global convergence agenda.

Formed in July last year, the FMCA aims to establish support among handset vendors for emerging convergence technologies and encourage consistency across product and equipment standards.

It has been reported that 240 million customers worldwide stand to benefit from the alliance, which counts among its members such companies as AT&T, British Telecom, Korea Telecom, Eircom, Belgacom and Telecom New Zealand.

The FMCA plans to deliver the product requirements for key convergence technologies - such as Bluetooth CTP, UMA and WiFi SIP - by mid to late 2005, with the intention of having more than 15 WiFi-enabled mid-price convergence handsets commercially available by mid-2006.

The organisation is also formalising relations with a number of standards development organisations in the hopes of reducing the time it takes for convergence products to hit the consumer and business markets across the world.

"Telkom believes the delivery of last mile seamless fixed and mobile converged access will remain one of the biggest technical challenges facing the ICT industry," says Thami Msimango, Telkom`s managing executive for network infrastructure provisioning.

"Membership in the FMCA is important to us because fixed mobile convergence technology has the potential to satisfy customer demands and offers the potential of opening new market opportunities through filling gaps and complementing the fixed-line and mobile networks."