Cisco, Ericsson to Help You Work Better from Your Mobile Phone

NEW DELHI: To help evolve the mobile phone into a more powerful enterprise-connected device, Cisco and Ericsson  will showcase a demo of their new joint Collaboration Mobile Convergence (CMC) solution at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, combining Cisco's leading enterprise collaboration service platform with Ericsson's leading VoLTE communications solutions.

CMC turns a mobile phone into a powerful enterprise-connected device and provides service providers with the ability to deliver a rich set of collaboration mobility services capabilities. Users can take advantage of Cisco Spark features like messaging, in-line file sharing, and high-definition video conferencing across multiple devices, all triggered from a simple call to a mobile number. Calls can also be moved seamlessly between devices, including the newly announced Cisco Spark Board, with a simple swipe.

Users will benefit from high-quality calls via the regular phone dialer, and collaboration capabilities via the Cisco Spark app. To further guarantee the best user experience for mobile business calls, seamless handover of voice calls across 2G, 3G, LTE and Wi-Fi accesses is supported via the mobile network.

For Service Providers, CMC enables them to offer differentiated new services with flexibility. Top benefits include:

Revenue: New recurring revenue, higher average revenue per user (ARPU), new value-added service.
Stickiness: Longer contract term, lower customer churn rate, void price erosion with business impactful services.
Differentiation: Leveraging the Service Provider network to provide QoS for business collaboration services; enriched offer from native dialer to Spark; part of Spark API & Cisco Partner community with flexibility for bundling
Mobile ID Monetization: Monetize on subscriber mobile identity with value added mobile services such as mobile recording, mobile customer relationship management (CRM), mobile integrated vertical apps, and more
Low Risk and Flexibility: OpEx savings vs. CapEx, investment protection, pre-integrated solution: works on any Evolved Packet Core, including those from Cisco, Ericsson or other vendors.

For Enterprises, CMC provides the ability to apply consistent communications policies across all calls, whether they are mobile or fixed. This offers the added benefit of converged billing, free OnNet calling, and it gives businesses control over business collaboration on mobile, helping reduce costs and improve productivity.

The solution will be available to Service Provider and Enterprise customers by end of calendar year 2017.

Rima Qureshi, Head of Region North America and responsible for the strategic partnership with Cisco at Ericsson, says: "This is another great move in our partnership after the launch of our joint Evolved Wi-Fi Networks solution. By extending VoLTE with business communication and collaboration, with Cisco's enterprise capabilities, we are giving service providers new revenue opportunities. In addition, making smartphones into smarter business phones will enable professionals to become more productive at work."

Yvette Kanouff, senior vice president, general manager, Service Provider Business, Cisco, says: "CMC offers Service Providers a unique competitive advantage to deliver world class business communications services via the mobile phone. This is a great example of Cisco and Ericsson innovation at work to advance the network of the future and support our mobile lifestyles."

Ericsson and Cisco - two industry leaders in the development and delivery of networking, mobility, and cloud - formed a global business and technology partnership in November 2015 to create the networks of the future. The partnership offers customers the best of both companies: routing, data center, networking, cloud, mobility, management and control, and global services capabilities. The next-generation strategic partnership will drive growth, accelerate innovation, and speed digital transformation demanded by customers across industries. To date, over 300 active customer engagements have now started to turn into won deals. More than 100 deals, spread around the world, are in IP (routing and transport) and services. The companies announced deals with 3 Italy, Vodafone Portugal, Aster Dominican Republic and Cable & Wireless in Caribbean in 2016 as well as with Telefonica Guatemala and Vodafone Hutchison Australia this year.