Mobile 2.0: Roaming Free

Whoever invented the expression “talk is cheap” obviously didn’t have to pay his company’s mobile phone bill. Mobile handsets have become the primary phone for many business users, even when they’re in the office.

The sheer convenience of a single, roaming device makes the mobile phone the preferred choice for many, especially when that device includes essential business features such as address books, calendars, to-do lists, and email and web clients.

But few business mobile users think closely about the cost implications of all that convenience and accessibility. According to the telecoms consultancy Analysys, around 80% of corporate telephony spending now goes on calls made to or by mobiles.

In-country mobile-to-office and office-to-mobile calls are a pain point for business, and international mobile roaming and interconnection charges are worse still. Even though a May 2007 EU agreement capped the price of a mobile call while abroad at €0.49 per minute, and incoming calls at €0.24 per minute, mobile costs remain high.

So while few companies want to scale back the use of mobiles, the majority are actively seeking ways to slash the running costs of their mobile fleets. Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) via Skype offers a way to do just that.

Read more at IT-Director.com.