NSN view on lacklustre FMC

Here is NSN view on why FMC has not cemented itself just yet. This in reply to a question posed by an analyst during a recent briefing.

Most of the operators are still in their early phase with convergence and there haven't been many commercial FMC services offered to the subscribers. FMC has two main aspects for the operators; cost savings through network simplification and new revenues through converged end-user services. So far the focus has been more on planning and implementing the network simplification, bringing in IP backbone networks into use for all the access networks. In network simplification there are lots of early phase activities going on.

For the end-users the voice convergence has not yet really started. Operators are modernizing the PSTN networks and VoIP is being used more and more for the fixed voice. But in the mobile networks circuit switched voice is still the most efficient way of providing the voice services. Converged services have been based more on non-voice services like email and browsing, where we have started to see increasing usage amongst the smartphone users.
While operators are modernizing their PSTN networks and expanding their VoIP offering, there will be many opportunities to combine the fixed and mobile service offering and provide similar user experience across all the access networks. Operators can provide the same services to fixed and mobile subscribers independent of the device they are using. Operators can offer their subscribers seamless interworking of devices connected via broadband access network and mobile network. Possible services include parallel ringing, messaging, video sharing, video calls between mobile phone and PC with a softphone client like Nokia Communication Suite.