Business 2.0 Magazine's Owen Thomas writes that the AT&T acquisition of BellSouth is not a return to Ma Bell, but about Ma Cell and the future of wireless communication for businesses. Consolidated ownership of Cingular Wireless (AT&T and BellSouth previously shared ownership of the carrier) will make for a far more nimble player, one that, like the other major carriers, will roll out an IMS network architecture. Thomas echoes and extols the likely benefits the near mythical IMS will bring: CIOs won't have to think landlines, pagers, calling cards and cell phones anymore, because they'll just have to buy connectivity, "plain and simple." The future always sounds so easy.
While IMS promises a much less convoluted world for the CIO, so-called "pre-IMS" services are rolling out nationwide today, including fixed-mobile convergence and wireless VoIP, or as we call it, wVoIP. Thomas points out that AT&T's citywide WiFi network in Riverside, CA was once a threat to Cingular's 3G business, but now the merged company can freely sell 3G and/or WiFi access to customers--or both. You can bet that AT&T's managed WiFi hotspots and the proliferation of WiFi networks in the enterprise is leading toward a wireless VoIP enterprise. Soon enough AT&T will retail dual-mode handsets. AT&T has a lot of Fortune 500 clients, many of whom will be wVoIP equipped as the carrier rolls out IMS.
The rise of wVoIP in the past year is not a fleeting trend, it's a movement. It's not a phase, it's just phase one. Join us on November 7th and 8th at FierceMarkets' wVoIP executive summit in San Francisco to understand the other factors that are pushing wVoIP, including why carriers are embracing, rather than ignoring these services. Our speakers and panelists are a who's who of the wireless industry, including BelAir Networks, Kineto, Aruba, VeriSign and AmDocs.
Register today and use my last name "DOLAN" as a special promotional code that will get you $300 off your admission. Also be sure to ask us about special deals for large groups and carriers. See you there! -Brian