Avaya and Nokia have today announced the next phase of their strategic collaboration with a solution that provides users of Nokia Eseries business devices with one number access and advanced enterprise telephony capabilities as they travel across private Wi-Fi and public mobile networks.
With a single mobile device, workers can "handoff" phone calls at the click of a button, using dual mode communications, as they travel from inside a company building (Wi-Fi) to the outside environment (mobile) – and vice versa. This is said to give workers a more convenient and productive way to manage their communications, while giving organisations a more cost-effective approach to enterprise mobility.
The solution – Avaya one-X Mobile Dual Mode Edition – combines Internet protocol (IP)-based applications with Nokia Eseries business devices – the Nokia E60, Nokia E61 and Nokia E70 models – to deliver the full benefits of FMC. The offering includes a dual-mode device with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) capabilities that can make and receive calls over both mobile and wireless local area networks (WLAN), both on and off a company campus.
For example: when a worker is communicating while roaming inside company walls, the solution uses the company's communications system and a secure Wi-Fi network. This drives cost savings by eliminating the need to use cellular minutes while at work. When the worker travels outside a company's Wi-Fi network, they can handoff their Wi-Fi call to the cellular network outside by pressing a button, keeping their conversation going uninterrupted.
An organisation that is using Avaya mobility solutions to keep employees connected wherever they go is CNIPA, the Italian National Centre for Information Technologies in Public Administration.
"We recently planned to introduce VoIP technologies which would see the migration of a million desk phones to IP mode over three years," said Stefano Paolucci, CNIPA CIO manager, the Italian National Centre for Information Technologies in Public Administration. "We are enthusiastic about the possibility of collaborating with Avaya to provide access to mobility services in our headquarters in Rome. With an easy and quick installation system we are currently using WLAN and GSM dual-mode technologies to provide mobile access to PBX services such as call transfer, call registration and conference calls. Despite the complexity of our building – Mr. Paolucci continues – the communication through the continuous coverage of the Wi-fi network is secured thanks to the various access points located on all floors and the connection from one point to another does not cause any sort of interference during the conversation. Not only has this resulted in increased mobility, but we have also reduced costs."
"We're finding that more and more businesses are using mobile devices in their telephony evolution cycle to deal with an increasingly virtual workforce," said Nathan Dyer, Yankee Group senior analyst, Enterprise Mobility. "Apart from cost-savings, integrated Wi-Fi and cellular devices enable simplified management and greater enterprise control over wireless voice devices."
Avaya one-X Mobile Edition and Nokia Eseries business devices deliver greater convenience, enhanced functionality, and improved security by giving workers one device for business and personal use, one number call access, and one voicemail message interface. Enterprise telephony features available with the dual mode solution include conferencing, transfer, and extension dialing – key capabilities enabling more productive communications for mobile workers. Security benefits include the ability to authenticate the Nokia Eseries device to a PBX, giving businesses greater control over wireless communications by allowing only authorised users to access the company's systems.
"Bringing the functionality of the IP PBX to mobile devices over cellular and Wi-Fi to employees both inside and outside the office is one of the ways mobility is transforming the way business is done," said Tom Furlong, vice president, Security & Mobile Connectivity, Nokia. "Working with a leading IP telephony provider like Avaya to extend their solutions to Nokia Eseries business devices is a key element to realizing the Nokia vision of connecting people using virtually any device over any network to any corporate application or data source."
"Embedding Avaya mobility applications with Nokia dual mode technology represents a core part of Avaya's vision of delivering Intelligent Communications to every worker, regardless of the network they're on," said Geoffrey Baird, Avaya vice president and general manager of Appliances, Mobile and Small Systems Division. "This unifies a business' voice applications, devices and networks to simplify communications for enterprise users wherever they go. Greater productivity and savings are just the beginning of the benefits gained with dual mode mobility."
Avaya will sell the mobile application as part of its IP telephony portfolio through its enterprise channels; Nokia will sell the solution through its operator and other channels. Both companies are investing research, development and marketing resources to realise the enterprise fixed mobile convergence market.