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T-Mobile makes corporate WiFi play
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T-Mobile USA is expanding its WiFi offerings into the enterprise market in a move that will put the generally consumer-focused company up against larger rivals AT&T and Verizon that have significant presence in both the consumer and business segments.
T-Mobile is launching a new service called Wi-Fi Calling with MobileOffice that will allow users with T-Mobile BlackBerry devices from Research In Motion to use WiFi while in the office and have the same number as their desk phone. The service, which hooks into a private branch exchange (PBX) system, also will allow users to access the feature in other places where they can get onto a WiFi network. T-Mobile is pushing this as a way for businesses to save cellular minutes, and possibly cut out a desk phone altogether.
T-Mobile said it will price the BlackBerry Mobile Voice System with each customer individually, according to an IDG News Service article. Business that have 100 or more T-Mobile voice and data lines will get free unlimited WiFi calls on BlackBerry devices nationwide, and those with fewer than 100 lines will pay $9.99 per line, per month.
Although T-Mobile has dabbled in WiFi before--the carrier's HotSpot@Home offering allows users to make phone calls over WiFi via their in-home network--the focus has been on the consumer side. However, the company's rivals have not been standing still when it comes to WiFi.
AT&T has long offered WiFi to both its wireless and wireline customers. And earlier this summer, Verizon Communications announced that customers of its wired FiOS and high-speed Internet services will have free access to more than 100,000 hotspots through a renewed agreement between Verizon and Boingo Wireless; the deal does not include Verizon Wireless customers though.
For more:
- see this Reuters article
- see this IDG News Service article
Related Articles:
AT&T, Verizon bolster WiFi offerings
Verizon may offer free WiFi to home broadband subs
WiFi becoming valuable customer retention tool
Verizon's answer to WiFi: MiFi
WiFi takes a seat at the cellular table
Comments
Posted by Mikko | October 7, 2009 - 3:04am
Offering WLAN as a service is becoming increasingly common these days. However, the WLAN Quality required for VoIP/VoWLAN is substantially higher that the "Best Effort SLA" (a contradiction in terms!) we are used to see today (and sufficient of less quality-sensitive use). A real WLAN Service Level Agreement must be backed by a Wireless Quality Assurance (WQA) solution that continuously monitors the fulfillment of the SLA performance criteria 7x27 and transparently alerts the WLAN maintenance staff AND the customer of the outsourced WLAN service when a problem appears and also keeps tab when the issue was resolved. Continuous centralized monitoring also allows to capture nasty intermittent radio problems (like interference from a security motion sensor or a leaking microwave oven), making all relevant data readily available for the WLAN Experts, thus making the WLAN Maintenance cost-effective.
As T-Mobile has understood, corporate WiFi service represents a good business opportunity, but that can only materialize if they employ a similar WQA as cellphone operators are routinely using. One of the most advanced WQA solutions today is 7signal Sapphire, although some vendors of WLAN Security Products claim to be offering similar add-on capability to their security products functionality.
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