The time has come for convergence

According to a TNS Direct survey conducted in May 2007, 58% of companies are convinced that fixed-mobile convergence will become the standard within the next three years; a conviction that is shared by Bouygues Telecom Entreprises. “Mobiles have not replaced landline phones, just as e-mails have not replaced telephone calls and faxes. In fact, 93% of companies say that they do not anticipate getting rid of landlines over the next three years. All these communication tools are complementary and serve different purposes within a company. They are all useful and legitimate, but definitely generate complexity since three operators, three networks, three bills and three sources of problems are often involved. Through its convergence offerings, Bouygues Telecom Entreprises wants to position itself as the global operator, providing companies with an easy to use solution and peace of mind,” explains Luc Perraudin, Director of Convergence at Bouygues Telecom Entreprises.

Two complementary offerings
In the spring, the operator launched Business Synchro, its first fixed-mobile and voice-data convergence offering. The service runs on a company’s IP network, thus eliminating the need for the commonly used PABX corporate telephone network and diverting telecommunications management to Bouygues Telecom Entreprises. “Business Synchro delivers all the usual PABX services without a premises-based PABX: call forwarding and transfer, call waiting, conference calls, screening, etc. It also provides advanced fixed-mobile and voice-data convergence services such as single contact numbers, single fixed and mobile voicemail, and an internet interface for managing all communication services and receiving voice messages by e-mail. Without forgetting the Synchro ring feature. When a call is received, your fixed-line and mobile phones can ring either simultaneously or sequentially, so you can be reached at any time and never miss a call. It’s all about simplicity and efficiency!” According to Luc Perraudin, Business Synchro is geared specifically towards very small businesses and SMEs, as well as large, multi-location companies with networks of branches or retail outlets that are looking to eliminate infrastructure (PABX) and maintenance costs.
Bouygues Telecom’s second convergence offering, fixed-mobile Business Duo, was launched on the occasion of the IP Convergence Show in October 2007. The offering adapts to existing infrastructures whilst providing a global service combining landline and mobile telephony and internet access. It also includes unlimited internal communications between a company’s fixed and mobile handsets. The principal interest of the offering is that it provides companies with a one-stop solution, involving a single operator, a single bill and a single customer service centre, for all their fixed, mobile and internet communications.
Bouygues Telecom Entreprises does not intend to stop there and is already contemplating new convergence service offerings, especially in the field of data transmission and virtual corporate networks. Watch this space.