FMC market to count 250M users by 2012

The fixed-mobile convergence market could grow to 250 million users by 2012, according to new research from ABI Research.
Converged services on fixed and mobile networks are currently available, and a new round of trials should be forthcoming as femtocell technology becomes available, said ABI.
“As we move to the end of the decade, mobile networks will emerge with a flat all-IP architecture using 3GPP standards to deliver multimedia services and VoIP,” said Ian Cox, principal analyst at ABI. In the meantime operators want to offer attractive calling plans to consumer and enterprise users. This will enable a single device to use both mobile and fixed broadband networks, improving business efficiency and enabling users to access directory information easily from their favorite devices.”