Neuf Cegetel, a French telecom operator, announced it is using an IMS-ready solution from Nortel to offer TWIN, an affordable fixed/mobile convergence service. The GSM/WiFi (News - Alert) service will enable subscribers to access broadband Internet connections at up to 11 Mbps as well as save from 10-30 percent on their mobile phone expenses.

The TWIN service is using Nortel’s (News - Alert) carrier VoIP and IMS-ready technology. It offers unified voice, messaging and multimedia communications services for home use or for working remotely via high-speed broadband Internet connections. Neuf Cegetel estimates that TWIN users can achieve savings of up to 30 percent on their mobile phone fees. Using WiFi coverage, the TWIN phone connects to a Neuf box or other WiFi access point and enables calls to be made at the same price as from a landline phone. Users receive a consolidated phone bill as a result.

Neuf Cegetel has been working with Nortel since 2005 as part of its BeautifulPhone project. The company has more than 1.4 million residential broadband customers in France and has been using a Nortel solution to provide VoIP services to more than 500,000 of those customers.

The new FMC solution features Nortel’s IMS-ready MCS 5200 server, which offers integration of voice and video, collaboration and presence services. The leverages SIP to allow service providers to deliver transparent handover between cellular and WiFi technologies. The solution is access-aware and supports 3GPP, 3GPP2, Packet Cable 2.0 and TISPAN standards.

“The future of communications will depend on multiple network types - both wireless and wireline - working together on a converged/unified network to provide anywhere, anytime access a communication experience,” said Lee Doyle, group vice president, Network Infrastructure, IDC (News - Alert). “Service providers that deliver fixed/mobile convergence services are better able to retain customers and reduce customer churn by allowing users to stay connected, regardless of device or location. It will also help increase enterprises productivity and customer service.”

“TWIN is the first true converged fixed-mobile telephony service in France and demonstrates Neuf Cegetel leadership in delivering innovative services to the marketplace,” said Francois Paulus, general manager, Network and Marketing division, Neuf Cegetel. "Nortel has delivered a cutting-edge technology to allow us to lead in the converged telecommunication market. People today want to be able to communicate effectively whether they are at home, at work, or traveling. Nortel technology is enabling Neuf Cegetel to harness the power of converging all networks over IP providing users with feature-rich communications from any broadband connection worldwide.”

“Users want their communications experience to fit their lifestyle and follow them regardless of their network connection or location,” said Michel Clement, president, Southern Europe, Nortel. “Our solution for Neuf Cegetel is IMS-ready, which means that they can easily and cost-effectively add advanced multimedia services according to their business objectives. Nortel’s IMS solution liberates communications from physical boundaries, delivering a consistent communications experience across cellular and WiFi networks.”

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Laura Stotler writes about IP Communications and related topics for TMCnet. She has covered VoIP and related technologies for seven years, contributing to Internet Telephony magazine and TMCnet, and as a freelance writer. To see more articles, please visit: Laura Stotler’s columnist page.