Fixed/mobile convergence, or FMC, software maker NewStep today announced two major agreements that will expand the handset support for its voice call continuity, or VCC, capabilities. Through an agreement with fg microtec, NewStep’s software will run on Nokia handsets in the Symbian operating system. In addition, NewStep has completed interoperability certification for Paragon Wire-less’ latest GSM/voice-over-wireless LAN dual-mode handset.
VCC allows one-button transfer of in-session calls from a wireless handset to a wireline handset or vice versa, as part of FMC.
“This is a real step forward in handset support for us,” said Craig Gosselin, chief marketing officer for NewStep. “We announced Kyocera a few weeks ago. We do a Windows Mobile client ourselves, but as we anticipated, other providers are starting to build their systems, which are compatible with our [VCC]. We will see more and more handset compatibility. It’s not just big bulky smartphones anymore that will accelerate the Wi-Fi cellular handoff piece.”
NewStep is seeing the enterprise market take off in advance of the consumer segment, as employers see the benefits of enabling an increasingly mobile work force to work more productively. Paragon is more focused on enterprise-oriented GSM handsets, Gosselin said.