Convergence is dissolving network boundaries and enabling the development of new service concepts, e.g. the ability to create private mobile GSM networks. This development allows intelligent communications applications to be employed on both conventional Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) and Internet Protocol (IP) devices. Private Mobile Network’s unique ability to replicate the functional of a cellular network in software also allows the same applications to be used on regular mobiles. The combined result is the ability to create private mobile networks where regular mobile devices function as fully featured Private Branch Exchange (PBX) extensions.

This is a groundbreaking concept that opens up the enterprise and Small Medium Business (SMB) market for mobile network operators. In a nutshell, it allows Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to deliver innovative, but meaningful functionality now: there is no need to wait for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) trials to be completed, for IMS services to be created and marketed over converged networks.

Enabling mobile phone networks to integrate into corporate telephony networks can be seen as a Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) development, but the implications go well beyond network convergence. In this paper we therefore use the term Fixed Mobile Integration (FMI) to encapsulate a MNO service offer based on the company’s private mobile network technology.