Broadband telephony is reviving wireline networks. Some operators are now grabbing the broadband opportunity to finally launch converged services combining wireline telephony with GSM services into a unique service. Many new features can be offered, making fixed and mobile devices ubiquitous, but true innovative services require complex integration of both infrastructures.

This session will look at the drivers for offering FMC services and describe real-life deployments from mobile and fixed-line operators. We will see how an IMS infrastructure can help deliver FMC and how flexible softswitches with powerful GSM capabilities can speed up deployments, leveraging the existing mobile infrastructure and paving the way for a full-blown IMS architecture.

Frederic Potter Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Network Software Activity Thomson

Mr. Potter is responsible for driving Thomson's vision and innovation in the NGN and IMS market spaces. Being the father of Cirpack's technology and public switching telephony equipment, he has built a team of engineers that has been designing a complete software and hardware solution capable of replacing the largest legacy Class-5 switches in a pure TDM environment and migrating to VoIP in NGN and IMS infrastructures. Prior to Thomson and Cirpack, he was CTO and director of Information Systems for five years with one of the largest European alternative telecom operators. In this position, he created and deployed the entire voice/data switching network of the second-largest French CLEC.

Corrine Bach Technology Strategy Manager, Strategy and Innovation SFR

Noël Foret Director, Service and Network Control Architecture France Telecom Group

Mr. Foret is in charge of leading the corporate activities related to France Telecom network architecture for services and core network control (fixed, mobile, and Internet). He joined France Telecom R&D in 1993 to work on the development of the mobile core network. In 1999, Mr. Foret became responsible for the mobile core network studies and the standardization team. At the beginning of 2001, he joined Orange headquarters to lead the implementation of the GPRS and UMTS core networks.

Ivo Remmelg Chief Executive Officer Telegrupp

Mr. Remmelg is directly involved in the design and operation of MobileIPCentrex.com, a converged platform for enterprise-hosted telephony. MobileIPCentrex.com is based on Thomson's Cirpack service delivery platform. The Telegrupp team has developed full FMC provisioning/self-care systems, hosted voice/fax mail, call center, and call recording solutions — all based on the Cirpack-Thomson softswitches. Mr. Remmelg has 12 years of experience in telecom company management and strategic planning and eight years of experience in enterprise communications.