Enterprise FMC Will Grow at a CAGR of 27%, Reaching Over 27 Million by 2014

In a new study from ABI Research, FMC (Fixed-Mobile Convergence) handset voice connections for business customers are forecast to rise from 6.3 million in 2009 to more than 27 million by 2014. ­FMC voice connections include Wi-Fi FMC connections as well as cellular FMC connections using picocells and femtocells.

However, its not just femtocells that are driving up enterprise FMC connections. Says practice director Dan Shey, "While femtocells have been all the rage, dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi phones will also increase enterprise FMC voice access."

Indeed, Wi-Fi in smartphones will grow from a 45% attach rate in 2009 to a 90% attach rate in 2014. Business customers are the primary adopters of smartphones and with increased penetration of Wi-Fi smartphones, this change levels the playing field between cellular and Wi-Fi FMC. Previously, the knock against FMC solutions particularly for VoWi-Fi was the lack of Wi-Fi phones.

Another variable affecting the business FMC landscape is business customers accessing the web, watching videos and connecting to social networking sites for personal reasons. FMC solutions and smartphones provide IT managers with ways to manage these kinds of connections.

The wildcards for enterprise FMC are downloadable VoIP applications from companies such as Skype and Truphone. Says Shey, "Downloadable apps that offer VoIP connections over Wi-Fi or on unlimited cellular data plans may not be enterprise-grade for now. But their availability will change how we view VoIP on cell phones, leading to some interesting opportunities and challenges for the mobile supply chain."

Posted to the site on 3rd August 2009