The poster child of dual mode and one of its most vocal advocates is moving to other opportunities in mobility. They will now be offering a Web-based mobility solution that depends entirely on cellular connectivity.
The one configuration most identified with fixed-mobile convergence is a dual mode Wi-Fi/cellular handset and a server that allows calls to be transparently handed off between the two environments. Avaya, Motorola, and Proxim announced the first such system dubbed Seamless Convergence in mid-2004, but the product was subsequently dropped. Undeterred, four suppliers, DiVitas, Agito, Varaha, and Comdasys, jumped in to carry the torch. Despite their vigorous efforts to promote the technology and the potential cost savings a dual mode solution could provide, the idea has failed to catch on.In a major strategy reversal, DiVitas Networks, the poster child of dual mode and one of its most vocal advocates is yielding to customer push back and moving to other opportunities in mobility. They will now be offering a Web-based mobility solution that depends entirely on cellular connectivity. While they will still offer the dual mode solution, they have apparently recognized the obstacles and determined that they have to expand their range of options if they hope to be successful.
I have tracked this market since its inception, and it has been quite apparent that the dual mode approach was stuck in the starting gate. The two biggest problems were the fact that the solutions were geared toward Nokia handsets rather than the more popular BlackBerry and iPhone devices, and the fact that most enterprise WLANs were simply not capable of supporting voice (or at least their owners felt they were not capable). On the device front, Agito made the first real break when they introduced dual mode support for the BlackBerry earlier this year, however we are waiting to see if the design approach they took will continue to work on subsequent versions of the BlackBerry software.
The overarching problem facing dual mode is organizational. Rather than addressing "mobility" as a whole, organizations manage Wi-Fi, cellular, and in some cases, push-to-talk (PTT) solutions separately. Enterprises treat cellular as a cost control issue rather than a technology issue, and focus on negotiating the best contract terms. Any solution that involves a technical approach is likely to be met with blank stares from the folks who are responsible for the cell phones. That's one of the main reasons why voice over WLAN sells, it has nothing to do with the cellular buyers. Once you add a cell phone to the mix, you're crossing organizational boundaries and have unwittingly introduced yet another significant obstacle.
DiVitas is now proposing a new option for integrating mobility that is more closely modeled on services like Google Voice. Key to the new approach is the fact that they will work through the mobile device's browser rather than requiring a special client on the handset; users have been reluctant to get involved with the device management issues brought about with handset clients. The functionality will be provided by the DiVitas server that can be installed on the PBX or "in the cloud." Shifting to a browser-based model (and dumping the Wi-Fi and client baggage) has allowed them to expand their selection of handsets beyond Nokia and selected Windows Mobile devices to include BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android. Quirks in the various devices cause them to work differently in the DiVitas solution.
DiVitas CEO Vivek Khuller claims that 90% of enterprise cell phones are user owned and paid for through a reimbursement process. Among large customers where corporate negotiated contracts cellular are the norm, I find user owned phones are the exception rather than the rule, but the solution will work on corporate owned handsets as well. A browser-based solution does expand the potential market into environments where user-owned phones are prevalent, such as universities and hospitals. Hospitals typically provide cell phones for administrators and other hospital employees but not for doctors. Mr. Khuller also sees potential in the hospitality space where their browser-based approach could be used to deliver mobile services to guests for the duration of their stay.
For enterprise mobility, the new DiVitas solution provides many of the same features as the dual mode implementation including single number reach, single voicemail, visual voicemail (in conjunction with Avaya's Modular Messaging), and full number protection (i.e. outbound mobile calls are passed through the PBX so the mobile number is hidden from business contacts). They also support texting and have presence capability from Avaya's pre-Aura presence server with plans to include the Aura-based version in early 2010.
The enterprise mobility market continues to evolve, but the consistent element has been that the evolution has gone on with little or no role for the PBX or its trappings. BlackBerry's BES already interfaces with Microsoft's OCS and IBM's Sametime, and they offer a free client to extend presence status and other UC features to their smartphone users. With their Mobile Voice System (MVS) they can provide single number reach and number protection if required, and they can support Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) based dual mode operation as well. What's more, BlackBerry has the ear of the cellular buyer. The DiVitas solution can do many of the same things and do so on a wider range of devices but it remains to be seen if the user experience can be as addictive as the BlackBerry.
Unified communications is reshaping the networking industry, and integrating mobility with that will be a key element. The PBX vendors have assumed they would be instrumental in that, but what we are seeing is that the integration is happening "around" the PBX. If basic telephony is absorbed into UC platforms like OCS and the mobile integration is accomplished through a BES or similar appliance, that doesn't leave much of a role for PBXs. So DiVitas may be on the right track by taking Wi-Fi out of the mix, but like the PBX vendors themselves, DiVitas will have to establish a position in the mobility value chain or the move to mobility will continue to go on without them.The poster child of dual mode and one of its most vocal advocates is moving to other opportunities in mobility. They will now be offering a Web-based mobility solution that depends entirely on cellular connectivity.
