An industry association devoted to fixed-mobile convergence has grown from 21 to 29 member companies. New members of MobileIgnite (Mobile Integrated Go-To-Market Network IP Technology) include Linux smartphone pioneer e28, and Linux VoIP stack vendor HelloSoft, along with a variety of other convergence software and testing specialists.

Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) describes the enablement of mobile phones to use fixed network technologies, such as corporate LANs, WiFi networks, and VoIP PBXs. ABI Research released a report last summer predicting that VoWiFi would catch on in mobile phones, by allowing them to work better indoors.

The MobileIgnite association says its eight new members have agreed to work on open standards-based interoperability leveraging SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), along with IMS (IP-multimedia Subsystem).

IMS is a 3GPP umbrella framework aimed at converging cellular and Internet services, to enable features like PoC (push-to-talk over cellular) in the near-term, but eventually enabling cellular voice service to be just another packet-switched protocol on an IP network largely compatible with the Internet. MobileIgnite calls IMS “the industry's leading blueprint for convergence.”

The MobileIgnite association was founded a year ago by mobile VoIP specialist BridgePort Networks, in conjunction with Airespace, IBM, and VeriSign. It comprises a Marketing Group that stages demonstrations at trade shows, along with an Interoperability group currently working on:

• IP Centrex (SIP) to mobile network (SS7 and IMS) interworking
• IMS based VoIP over WiFi to circuit switched cellular voice call handover network to handset interoperability based on emerging Voice Call Continuity standards in 3GPP and 3GPP2
• Mobile/SIP based messaging and presence inter-working

New MobileIgnite members include:

• E28 Limited — provides “Linux mobile smart information device solutions to mobile manufacturers, operators, and network partners, from board level to the total device solution level,” it says. E28 shipped the world's first Linux smartphone, in August of 2003, and recently commercialized a “most practical GSM/WiFi Dual Mode Smart Phone,” it says.

• HelloSoft offers Linux-based VoIP software stacks, ARM reference designs, and other standards-compliant VoIP, WLAN, and Cellular convergence technologies, it says.
• BCT (Broadband Communications Technologies, Pty. Ltd.) — a South African consulting and technology integration firm working to implement convergence solutions including WiFi and WiMax infrastructure, and dual mode devices based on open standards
• Convergin — a provider of FMC (fixed-mobile convergence) and Service Capability Interaction Management (SCIM) solutions, such as a “Wireless Convergence Server” that it says helps service providers accelerate deployments of IMS
• FG Microtec — a provider of embedded QoS (quality of service) software, IMS framework clients, PoC software, and VoIP and Video applications for UMTS, GPRS, and WiFi networks
• Netrake — sells “session border controllers,” security gateways, and other real-time voice- and multimedia-over-IP products
• NewHeights Software — a soft-client vendor specializing in unified fixed mobile communications environments
• tekVizion — runs an independent interoperability certification lab, and offers consulting and development services

MobileIgnite Chairman Sanjay Jhawar stated, “Companies that join MobileIGNITE understand the advantage and benefit of driving MobileVoIP deployment based on existing open standards. Our members envision a scenario with interconnected fixed network environments and mobile network environments, in any combination, including GSM or CDMA on the mobile side, and with fixed broadband, cable, and ISP environments on the other.”

Analyst Peter Jarich, of Current Analysis, observes, “This is the year that carriers — beyond BT — will likely start to offer hand-offs between wireless VoIP at home or in the office, and wide-area cell networks in the real world. MobileIGNITE's role with multi-party interoperability testing should help to smooth carrier deployment of such offerings, while supporting a transition to IMS.”

Previous MobileIgnite members include 724 Solutions, Apertio, Acme Packets, Aruba Networks, Boingo Wireless, BridgePort Networks, Centile, CoreMobility, CounterPath, Kyocera Wireless, Net2Phone, PCTEL, QualPhone, Reef Point Systems, SIPquest, Sonim, Sylantro, Tekelec, TapRoot, VeriSign, Vivox, and WorldCell.

 
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