Fixed/Mobile Convergence and Beyond

Mobile communications users are demanding increased reliability, functionality, and accessibility; they want "always on" access to voice, e-mail, text, and multimedia services as they roam from home to auto to office to outdoor/indoor locations. In addition, there is an increasing deamnd to replace separate landline/mobile telephones with a single handset that can be used wherever its owner might be. Answering those customer needs, fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) marries the mobility provided by cellular networks with the extended connectivity provided by 802.11-based WiFi services and integrates them with landline networks using a single handset. This book provides the theoretical and practical background necessary to successfully plan, develop, and deploy effective FMC networks.

This book discusses the various 802.11 and VoIP protocols used in FMC networks, open and proprietary communications protocols, integration of FMC networks to wired telephone networks, mobilizing applications such as text messaging and video, security issues, mobile handset requirements for FMC networks, and the administration/management of FMC networks. Special attention is given to selecting appropriate components for FMC, and numerous case histories and examples from the author's experience are provided.

This book is an essential tutorial and reference for any RF/wireless, communications, and networking professional who will work with the next generation of wireless networks.

• Describes how to develop, deploy, and manage networks that seamlessly combine landline, cellular, and WiFi networks into one converged communications network
• Thorough coverage of various 802.11 and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) standards and how they impact integration with cellular networks
• Discusses security considerations and how to successfully manage converged networks
• Includes numerous case histories and examples from the author's experience---this is not a purely theoretical treatment of the subject!

RF/wireless engineers, wireless network engineers, networking professionals

Chapter 1 Unbounded Mobile Communications 1.1 Communication knits societies together 1.2 The Business Value of Mobility 1.3 Unbounded Mobile Communication Concepts 1.4 UMC – What is needed? 1.5 Are the technologies ready? 1.6 What are the UMC market forces at work?

Chapter 2 Mobile Communications – State of the Technology 2.1 Wide area wireless 2.2 Wireless LANs 2.3 Clarifying popular UMC product terms 2.4 Are customers & vendors ready for UMC? 2.5 Analysts Predictions for UMC 2.6 The market is ready for UMC

Chapter 3 Unbounded Mobile Communications – what is it? 3.2 What problem does UMC solve? 3.3 Whose problem does UMC solve? 3.4 An UMC Agnostic approach 3.5 UMC Handover logic 3.6 UMC Alternatives 3.7 The Mobile Enterprise

Chapter 4 UMC - an overview of the technology requirements & considerations 4.1 Mobile handset requirement 4.2 Wireless LAN (WLAN) requirement 4.3 Voice Optimized Ethernet Considerations 4.4 Wide Area Wireless Considerations 4.5 VoIP requirement 4.6 Hotspot & Hotzone Support 4.7 PBX/iPBX Integration Considerations 4.8 Network Security Considerations 4.9 Solution Management Considerations

Chapter 5 UMC – Current Market Solution Overview 5.1 Market Drivers for mobile communications 5.2 Cellular solutions – covers all outdoors 5.3 WiFi solutions – covers indoors 5.4 UMC – carrier-centric architectures 5.5 UMC – enterprise-centric architectures 5.6 ROI models and solution trends 5.7 WLAN/Internet vs. Cellular – a commercial battleground

Chapter 6 UMC – Layer 1 & 2 - Media requirements 6.1 Cellular Networks 6.2 WLAN/802.11 networks 6.3 IEEE 802.16/WiMAX – the future looming 6.4 ISM interference considerations

Chapter 7 VoIP – Layer 3 & 4, the IP infrastructure 7.1 VoIP – an introduction 7.2 Voice-over-IP protocols 7.3 Real Time Protocol (RTP) 7.4 VoIP everywhere? 7.5 Commercial Consumer VoIP services

Chapter 8 Voice Optimized Networks – the network orphan 8.1 General network optimization considerations 8.2 Shared Media Allocation 8.3 Converged media prioritization 8.4 Network Congestion Management Readiness – a summary

Chapter 9 Mobile Handset Solutions 9.1 Dual-mode handset landscape 9.2 Determine your mobile handset requirements

Chapter 10 Hotspot & Hotzone Access 10.1 Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) access considerations 10.2 he hotspot LANscape 10.3 Hotspot use models 10.4 Impact of convergence 10.5 Hotspot security considerations 10.6 Application barriers for hotspots 10.7 Future wireless freedom in hotspots 10.8 A bright hotspot future

Chapter 11 Security considerations 11.1 UMC security considerations – a view of the landscape 11.2 Cellular Security – an overview 11.3 WLAN Security – An introduction 11.4 Security implementation options 11.5 Balancing Security with QoS 11.6 Multi-AAA Authority Overview 11.7 UMC Registration & Security considerations

Chapter 12 PBX features & integration 12.1 PBX features – an introduction 12.2 PBX integration challenges 12.3 Integrated solutions 12.4 PBX & iPBX interoperability future 12.5 UMC feature supplementary service requirements 12.6 Network specific implementation challenges 12.7 PSTN interconnect options

Chapter 13 UMC Management and Statute conformance considerations 13.1 AAA management requirements 13.2 Physical Security concerns 13.3 UMC Policy management 13.4 CALEA/Lawful Intercept support 13.5 HIPAA – Healthcare considerations 13.6 E911/Emergency response support 13.7 Securities Exchange Commission considerations 13.8 Presence management 13.9 Cost control policies

Chapter 14 Mobilizing applications 14.1 Telephony/Email 14.2 Instant Messaging/SMS 14.3 Push-to-Talk 14.4 Wireless Video – monitoring and conferencing 14.5 Vertical Market Opportunities 14.6 Mobile Location Based Services 14.7 Mobile Application Summary

Chapter 15 The Final Challenge – Sales/support channel considerations 15.2 The UMC Purchase Challenge 15.1 What drives UMC sales?

Chapter 16 Unbounded mobile communications – beyond FMC 16.1 Nothing but change in the future 16.2 Handset evolution 16.3 Major Technology changes 16.4 Presence in the future 16.5 Major Vendor trends 16.6 UMC: FMC and beyond

Glossary