T-Mobile added the Samsung t739 Katalyst handset to their Hotspot@Home product line. The Katalyst is Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) capable, meaning it can route calls over a Wi-Fi connection. The Katalyst fills a gap between the existing low end and high end handsets for their Hotspot@Home service. The Katalyst offers a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a 220 x 176 display.

Read more at this Engadget post.

XO announced the launch of Unwired Office, an enterprise targeted fixed mobile convergence solution. XO will partner with Sotto Wireless to offer a single platform which provides a smartphone that can be utilized as an office phone and a wireless device. The platform will include broadband Internet access; a hosted PBX system providing features in and out of the office; individual smartphones with one telephone number for office and mobile calling; wireless email and messaging; optional IP desk phones; and in building wireless coverage through in-office WiFi networks and wireless service. In addition, the service enables businesses to transparently extend the office phone system to the home or branch office by using existing cable or digital subscriber line broadband services. One of the smartphones used by the platform is the dual mode Nokia E61i. The Unwired Office solution illustrates the continuing movement towards fixed mobile convergence.

I was reading a press release from Embarq announcing the launch of their text-to-landline service, which allows wireless SMS text messaging to be received and replied to from a landline phone, and it made me wonder about the life expectancy of traditional voice land lines. If you listen to some analysts, landlines are "dead lines walking," meaning it's just a matter of time before they become irrelevant. The argument is wireless and VoIP services will render traditional landlines useless. Of course, these predictions of total demise are rarely accurate. Landlines aren't in any danger of becoming totally obsolete, but their relevance in everyday life is certainly diminishing.

The promise of fixed mobile convergence (FMC) applications increase not only the likelihood of the long term survival of the landline, but may even reverse the trend of irrelevancy. The ability to "borrow" some of the experience of mobile applications and apply them to landline phones should be the goal of landline carriers. This latest Embarq announcement is a great example of that. There are numbers of others, including find/follow me services, simultaneous ring, and wireless to wireline hand offs. We can't predict whether this latest SMS text service application will be successful, but I do applaud Embarq for trying. They have made a series of FMC announcements this year, which says to me they are not conceding their core business to any competitor. There are a variety of applications available (or coming to market soon) that will add value to the landline experience, including web self care portals, unified messaging, and aforementioned FMC applications. The future reality is that landline carriers will have to adapt. They will have to find ways to make landline phones more valuable. Otherwise, they will fall victim to the competitive reality of today's evolving marketplace.

Looking to make a little wireless noise of themselves during the iPhone frenzy week, T-mobile will launch Hotspot@Home this Wednesday 6/27. Hotspot@Home, a fixed mobile convergence (FMC) service, will offer Wi-Fi offload of mobile calls when a Hotspot@Home capable handset is in range of an appropriate Wi-Fi hotspot. T-mobile has been beta trialing the service in Seattle, WA for the past 9 months. We reported on a similar launch by Cincinnati Bell last week.

This type of FMC application is beneficial to both the customer and their provider. The customer can fill indoor gaps of mobile wireless coverage with their home Wi-Fi network. An extra added bonus is the Wi-Fi use does not count towards the customer’s monthly minute allowance. Although, T-Mobile will charge a monthly premium of $10/month for individuals and $20/month for a family plan (both of which are introductory pricing and will certainly increase after a promotional period) for the service. Eventually FMC handsets will be able to interface with the hundreds of thousands of available Wi-Fi spots across the globe. The benefit to the wireless provider is the off load of wireless traffic off their crowded GSM network, thus giving them some network efficiencies. Additionally, FMC conceivably provides a competitive advantage, as T-Mobile and other FMC carriers can market this attractive application as a differentiating service, from not only competing wireless options, but also with landline carriers.

A viable FMC product like Hotspot@Home helps continue the migration away from traditional landline service. One of the factors preventing landline replacement is poor wireless coverage indoors. FMC alleviates that problem by routing calls through Wi-Fi as a VoIP over broadband call. Problem solved – at least in theory. This begs the question as to why that famous other phone launching this week does not provide FMC options?

Verizon announced the launch of several fixed mobile convergence (FMC) products at the NXTComm show. The new products will be called Wireless Office, PBX Mobile Extension and Mobile Conference Connection. Product features will include include: a single phone number that simultaneously rings to an office, home and cell phone; a unified mailbox that consolidates voicemail from multiple devices; and instant conference calls that can be organized and initiated with just a few clicks on any Research in Motion BlackBerry or Microsoft Windows Mobile smart phone or PDA. Pricing on the new services was unavailable.