Operators are used to being told that they don’t understand enterprises, don’t know how to support IT departments and don’t know how to act in an “IT” way. Yet 34% of enterprises still see operators as their “natural” choice of fulfilling an FMC strategy, says, er, FMC enabler Tango Networks.
Tango also says that 52% of European enterprises believe mobile operators are capable of delivering an effective FMC solution; a further 31% are undecided. Only 17% of enterprises have written mobile operators off completely
Tim Helstrip, VP EMEA at Tango Networks, Tango Networks, said that although carriers are “dragging their feet” in this market, enterprises themselves, when presented with the benefits of an FMC solution, are surprisingly enthusiastic. Tango’s Abrazo solution requires operators to implement an IN node in their networks, to provide call control for the enterprise solution – and Helstrip is frustrated that operators themselves have been slow to capitalize on the latent demand within enterprises.
It’s about time he says, operators started sealing a few deals with the enterprise. “Their progress has been glacial. They’re like the guy who’s been on the dance floor all night without closing the deal,” he said, “It’s about time for a kiss.”
Although the PBX and IP-PBX vendors, as well as the handset vendors, have been targeting this market, Helstrip said that operators have the advantage because they are client and PBX agnostic. But, he said, in insisting on detailed ROI cases and worrying at length about channels to markets, they are “just not getting it.”
Enterprises, he said, once they see they can have full PBX functionality to their existing mobile devices, want to sign up. He cited Texas Intruments who are going live with a Tango solution by the end of the first quarter.
“Tango’s solution works for any PBX, any mobile phone and, critically, it keeps mobile operators in control of the loop. At the moment there is a race to the bottom in enterprise sales with operators offering huge bundles to clients that they cannot make any money on. And with calls going over the VPN then the operator has no control. But FMC gives operators the chance to take all of an enterprise’s teclo business, not just a bundle of mobile minutes,” he said.
Helstrip said that 80% of users within an enterprise will not be on a given carrier’s subscriber list. Yet 65-70% of users use their mobile phones within 10ft of their desk, meaning that operators can extend their own penetration within that enterprise to 65-70% if they signed up the business to an FMC plan.