M5T and Partners take FMC Global

By: Richard “Zippy” Grigonis

This month I sat down with Marco Genoni, Chairman of StrataTech Group as well as Samuel Guénette, General Manager of M5T, to continue our discussion on FMC as well as look at the recent initiative founded by these industry leaders to work together, share ideas and help drive Fixed Mobile Convergence (News - Alert).

RG: Sam and Marco, here’s the million dollar question: what will the FMC market be like in two years?

MG: The business case for FMC is pretty solid, FMC ties together voice, unified communications and wired and wireless networks to enable communications from pretty much anywhere at any time. I cannot see any business that would not want the convenience of being able to communicate with their staff no matter where they are around the world.

SG: I agree, mobility is paramount to today’s workforce, the number of remote workers has increased over 35 percent in the last 5 years, and this number will only grow. Additionally, the service provider market has become so competitive that each one needs to distinguish itself from the other, so FMC is a key selling tool for them.

RG: Both Comdasys (News - Alert) and M5T have invested a lot of their resources into FMC development; do you feel this is the right direction to go?

MG: Most definitely, at StrataTech Group, we help drive the sales and FMC strategy for both Comdasys and M5T and have seen significant increases in demand for both product lines. For Comdasys the enterprise marketplace continues to spark a lot of interest. The Comdasys Controller can scale from 5 to 1,500 users. One key benefit of the controller is that its stackable; we’ve seen numerous applications recently where the enterprise has taken advantage of this feature to dramatically increase the number of users.

SG: The MC Client has rapidly become an important product for M5T, and as a company, we see a definite benefit in actively investing time and effort into our MC Client, which we view as a natural extension of our core SIP-based components. Our award-winning M5T SIP Client Engine is at the heart of the M5T MC Client and thus enables us to provide a solution that is highly interoperable, flexible, reliable and secure.

RG: Recently both companies have collaborated on a number of efforts including an all-in-one FMC solution called the Comdasys FMC Solution. How does it work?

MG: There are two key elements to the Comdasys FMC Solution; the first is the Comdasys FMC Controller, which is an all-in-one network appliance that includes a multiservice router, a session border controller with voice security enhancements, QoS and FMC voice applications. The second element is the M5T MC Client, which allows users to freely roam between WiFi (News - Alert) and cellular networks.

The Comdasys FMC Server resides on the central corporate network next to the SIP-based or SIP-enabled PBX (News - Alert)/Softswitch. Whenever a dual-mode device running the Comdasys-specified Client software appears on the corporate network, it automatically registers with the Comdasys FMC Server. The Comdasys FMC Server registers the user as a SIP client on the corporate PBX. At this point, any calls made to or from the mobile user’s device are routed through the PBX as SIP calls using any available GSM / UMTS / CDMA / WLAN infrastructure.

SG: The M5T MC Client provides the user with a single intuitive interface with one number, one user directory and one voice mailbox as well as with a broad range of PBX features, regardless of whether the user is on the corporate/residential or mobile network.

RG: You are also founding member of a new group called the Fixed Mobile Convergence Connection (FMCC). Can you describe it for us?

SG: The FMCC is a close collaboration of industry-leading technology companies such as Comdasys, Mediatrix Telecom (News - Alert), StrataTech Group and us at M5T that share a common vision to deliver Fixed Mobile Convergence solutions, products and services.

MG: We like to view the FMCC as a group of companies with like-minded goals, who may be strong in one or more areas of FMC development, but are also looking at creating partnerships and close working relationships with other companies that are strong in other aspects of FMC.

RG: Are you looking to expand the FMCC to include other potential members?

MG: Most definitely, The FMCC is growing and we are actively looking to increase the number of companies that become part of it.

SG: Our goal for the FMCC is to bring together industry leaders and innovators from all parts of the FMC world. IT

For more information about the M5T MC Client, go to www.m5t.com or [email protected]

For more information about the Comdasys FMC Controller, go to www.comdasys.com

For more information about StraTech, go to www.stratatechgroup.com

For more information about FMCC Partnership opportunities, please send an email to [email protected]

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