If talk is cheap, why do businesses still have high mobile phone bills? It's simply because mobiles have become the primary phone for many business users, even when they're in the office.

The sheer convenience of a single, roaming device makes mobile phones the preferred choice for many. Especially with the latest generation of iPhones, BlackBerrys and smartphones that offer web access and WiFi connectivity. But this convenience and mobility comes at a price. Telecoms consultancy Analysys says around 80% of corporate telephone bills is on calls made to, or by mobiles.

It is typically mobile-to-office and office-to-mobile calls that are the pain points for businesses due to the high costs associated with interconnection charges that are passed through by fixed and mobile carriers. For companies that have travelling employees, expensive international roaming charges can add up quickly. Although the EU capped the cost of roaming at €0.46 per minute, and incoming calls at €0.22, bills can still be unexpectedly and painfully large when employees are travelling, even for those routine ‘touching base' calls.

Converge and save
So while few companies want to scale back the use of mobiles, the majority are actively seeking ways to slash comms costs incurred from the use of mobiles, especially in the current lean economic climate.

Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) via Skype offers a way to do just that, bridging the gap between a company's phone system and mobile phones to create a single, converged network that makes for easier communications, both for the office and travelling employees, while slashing monthly telecom charges. Let's take a look at the 3 simple steps needed for an FMC solution.

The 1, 2, 3 of FMC
The first requirement for a flexible and easy-to-deploy FMC solution is a mobile smartphone with WiFi capability (Apple's iPhone, BlackBerry models, the Skype 3 Phone, Nokia's N Series, and many others).

The second is to install the Skype client on the mobile—in many cases, it is pre-installed—and to set up the user's Skype account. This gives the mobile user access to the World's largest VoIP network and its 400+ million users.

The third requirement is a PBX-to-Skype application gateway, which links the office PBX to Skype. These application gateways already enable business users to take advantage of VoIP benefits—low international call costs, enhanced inter-office communications, Web click-to-call, mobile extensions etc... . The good news is that companies can deploy FMC without having to replace their existing phone system.

Roaming free
The solution works like this. The mobile user can call other Skype users—whether mobile or at their desks—via their mobile's Skype client. The Skype call is made either over WiFi connectivity, making it completely free; or via the mobile's 3G capability.

While users would traditionally pay for Skype usage over 3G from their data plan, UK MNO 3 has announced that it will make Skype calls completely free to its customers from May. This move breaks new ground for mobile VoIP traffic, and looks set to be adopted by other MNOs in the coming months, making it possible to kill expensive roaming charges.

Marrying mobiles to the PBX
Businesses then bring their mobile and PBX usage together using the PBX-to-Skype application gateway. This adds from 8 up to 30 Skype lines to the company's existing PBX that can be picked up and transferred between extensions like an ordinary call. The gateway also centralises Skype provisioning, usage and management, giving IT managers full control without installing Skype on each PC.

This means that users' Skype accounts and call preferences can be set up via the PBX gateway, to automate routing of calls from the office PBX to the mobile over Skype. Likewise, mobile users can utilize Skype on their smartphones to call office to speak with colleagues. This call is completely free because it is a Skype-to-Skype call between the smartphone and PBX gateway.

The right to roam, free
The Skype FMC solution really is that simple, and management of the solution is under full control of the corporate IT team. This ensures accountability and user compliance when using the system, as the team can set up speed-dials and routing options to maximise the cost savings via Skype.

It also has the key advantage of needing no changes to a company's existing PBX equipment, office phones or computers. All it needs is the right type of smartphone, PBX-to-Skype gateway, and Skype to cut out fixed/mobile and roaming costs completely.

FMC presents an easy win to the cost-conscious business, by enabling them to slash their fixed/mobile costs, and to keep them low. But it also gives businesses a pathway to truly converged, flexible communications, using Skype to link the mobile user and device to the office PBX. That's a real killer business mobile application.

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