Irish telecommunications software company Accuris Networks will present what it claims is a world first when it demonstrates messages being sent between a wi-fi data network and a GSM phone network.
The demonstration will take place at the 3GSM World Congress, the world's largest event for the telecommunications industry, which is being held in Barcelona next week.
Accuris's AccuRoam platform also allows voice calls to be handed over between GSM and wi-fi networks without any interruption to the user's conversation.
At the back end it has a network domain selection module which allows operators to control what network is used by their subscribers based on business rules. For instance, a user's calls may be forced on to a corporate wireless network when they are in their company's office.
The kind of convergence of fixed and mobile communications that Accuris's software enables is something that a range of different service providers want to be able to achieve, as traditional fixed-line phone companies, mobile operators and newer broadband players jockey to provide a single bill for all a customers' communications needs.
The ability to provide so-called "triple" and "quad-play" services whereby subscribers can get broadband, video, fixed-line and mobile communications services from a single company has become a "holy grail" in the communications business and Accuris is among the vanguard of companies supporting this approach.
Accuris chief executive Aidan Dillon says messaging is a key element of current revenue streams for mobile operators, so it is vital to be able to support it in a converged scenario. "From the users' point of view, they have to have it - they don't want to roam on to wi-fi for cheap calls but then find out their messaging doesn't work," says Dillon.
"Because you are pushing it on to an IP network, you can also offer enhanced messaging services like instant messaging."
While mobile phones are available today which allow users to make cheap or free calls using VoIP services such as Skype, Dillon says the AccuRoam platform has the distinct advantage of giving users a single phone number regardless of what network the calls are routed over. Consumers are also likely to be attracted to the fact that they can use a single device and have a single voice mail service for their phone, regardless of whether it is used on a home or public network.
The idea of easily roaming between an operator's network and a corporate or home wi-fi network will obviously appeal to Irish mobile users who have some of the biggest bills in Europe.
Dillon admitted that the large mobile operators are less keen on the benefits of such a system which they see as eating into their current voice revenues. He says that fixed-line operators, many of whom sold off their mobile divisions in recent years, see AccuRoam as a way of offering a mobile service to customers and winning back business from the mobile operators.
Dillon said the main factor holding back the adoption of fixed-mobile convergence is the lack of availability of handsets. In turn, the handset manufacturers such as Nokia and Motorola are reluctant to build support for features into their phones that have not been approved by standards bodies.
It is expected that the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) standard for fixed-mobile convergence will be ratified within the next year, which will result in a range of converged services being offered to consumers.
