to follow. The benefit of converging single numbers to a new phone number is that voice mail becomes unified messaging and the caller experience is unique. This variation on soft-ware-defined networking allows users to set programming for how calls are processed based on caller ID, time of day, address book, and a suite of customer-programmable criteria. What FMC gives a business in terms of redefining how calls are handled is starting to become clear for many. In the real estate business, for example, agents in the field interact with clients constantly. One of the biggest problems a real estate broker faces is a sales agent leaving the firm and taking clients along to a new firm. The cell phone number becomes the customer’s link. With LNP, moving a phone number from one cell phone to another is simple today. Intelliverse’s managed VoIP and FMC solutions provide a way for the broker to own the telephone numbers associated with mobile phones. Numbers can be assigned to agents. When an agent leaves the brokerage, the number can easily be reassigned to another agent or the broker. The continuity of the customer relationship is maintained without the loss of the client. It’s an approach to FMC that helps companies maintain their identity and presence in customer’s minds.

Across the industry, the same themes echo time and again. David Hattey, President and CEO of FirstHand Technologies ( www.firsthandtech.com) explains. “One of today’s issues with mobility is there are multiple phone numbers on a sales person’s business card. Which one should the customer phone first?” In describing his company’s solution, he says that when only one phone number is published on a business card, multiple devices ring, including the salesperson’s mobile device. This ensures customers reach sales people much more quickly, no matter where the salesperson is.

“This is a definite advantage for the enterprise when it comes to salespeople who hand out their personal cell phone number to customers,” Hattey says. “But when a salesperson leaves to go to another company, the salesperson takes his customers with him as he will continue to call the salesperson on his personal cell number. With our solution, the enterprise simply assigns the ex-salesperson’s mobile extension to the new salesperson, who will continue working with existing customers.”

In figure 1, we see the telephone communications world of today, albeit greatly simplified. Generally, we fall into three different situations–we are at work, at home, or somewhere in between with mobile access to the network. One challenge with FMC is enabling people to communicate using one device with one number at home, in the office, and on the go. Another is enabling people to communicate with any device of choice based on what’s available at the time. The phone on a business person’s desk at the office may need the same services as a personal computer at home or a Blackberry while mobile.

Luc Roy, VP of Product Planning for Siemens Enterprise Communications ( www.enterprise-communications.siemens.

Figure 1

com) speaks with ease about a slightly different view. Siemens uses the phrase fixed-mobile convenience. “Users can reduce their number of devices and instead use a single device for all of their communications needs no matter where they are or what they are doing,” Roy says. “This can result in significant productivity benefits since workers no longer require multiple specialized devices or need to manage multiple contact lists or voice mailboxes. Instead everything is accessible from a single device using a consistent user interface.”

Siemens’ solution is another response to a range of corporate challenges. Mobility is clearly on the rise. Forrester Research reports have indicated that roughly 40 percent of workers in the United States perform their work in mobile or remote mode 20 percent or more each day.

Mobile phones and other wireless devices leverage WLANs, but these still can’t deliver the range and performance levels required to approach the ubiquity of the mobile carrier networks.

As Roy explains Siemens’ viewpoint, there are issues beyond simply cost, security, and administration for enterprises to address. Workers have many options for communication– legacy mail, fax, voice calls (either fixed or mobile), e-mail, voice/videoconferencing, and instant messaging (IM). All are widely used in business. The problem is that this diversity of communications may actually distract from workers’ responsiveness as they’re inundated with a river of daily information bombarding their senses from numerous sources. The act of managing all the incoming information can distract from the core work tasks, degrading productivity and effectiveness and undermining the value of the communications network. Michael Remacle, Senior Director of Offer Management in the Wholesale Communications group at Level 3 (www. level3.com) brings a completely alternate view to the question of one number for many phones. As a wholesale carrier, Level 3 provides voice-oriented segments–VoIP call origination and termination–for FMC services. Remacle cites the rising benefit businesses are finding with the rapidly emerging set of dedicated FMC providers. “Aggregators like Ring