Ovum: Don’t buy into dual-mode hype

The hype surrounding dual-mode phones is overblown in the United States, according to research firm Ovum.
The company issued a new report that predicts only about 2 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers will use a dual-mode device by 2010. Such devices typically combine Wi-Fi and cellular connections.
“Equipment vendors have been fixated on dual-mode phones as the key form of fixed-mobile convergence, but the people responsible for implementing this at the carriers are really skeptical that the devices and solutions are ever going to be ready for prime time,” said Jan Dawson, vice president of Ovum’s U.S. enterprise practice.
The report warns carriers to look for different approaches to fixed-mobile convergence other than dual-mode solutions. Other key forms of fixed-mobile convergence include identity convergence and remote access and control, according to the report.