Hybrid Fixed and Mobile Telephony

Iorek writes "Both Ericsson and BT have launched telephony products that erode the barriers between mobile phones and landlines. Ericsson's One Phone is a PBX system that can treat any mobile phone as an extension of the corporate phone network, while the BT Fusion handset behaves like a conventional fixed line cordless phone when it's near its base station (Bluetooth connection), and connects to the Vodafone network once it's out of range."

Comments

This is new?

[ivan256]

the BT Fusion handset behaves like a conventional fixed line cordless phone when it's near its base station [...], and connects to the [cellular] network once it's out of range

So? Panasonic made phones like that as early as 1998.

Re:This is new?

[Ethelred Unraed]

Ya. There's a hybrid product called Genion that's been available for years in Germany, since the late 90s.

Cheers,

Ethelred

interesting

[rwven]

I like the idea but it would been better to use 802.11 instead of bluetooth for a little more range around the house....

Re:interesting

[dj_paulgibbs]

It does, it comes with a wireless router/modem - http://www.btfusion.bt.com/

This is just the opposite of what you want

[Anonymous Coward]

What we really need is a mobile phone that acts like a corded phone whenever it is out of range of a cell.

Relatively Old News

[aardwolf64]

When I had my second job at OfficeMax in 1995, we sold a 900Mhz wireless phone that turned into a cell phone once you got a certain distance away. I think it cost around $400. The only thing different between this and the "new" one is the bluetooth...

Baah!

[GillBates0]

You young 'uns and your fancy schmancy "Hybrid Telephony". Back in my day, we didn't need these teensie Mobile Telephones" with their fancy "Bluetooth connections" to talk. All we had was our strong manly voices and a favorable wind ter carry it across.

I remember the day when my old Missus had 'er first baby. I didn't go around dialling fancy numbers in any fancy telephone. Just walked up the hill, hollered for the midwife and walked back up home. No sirre, no fancy "Hybrid Telephony" for us back then, and we loved it.

It's all soooo 2003...

[Dynamoo]

BT has sunk millions of pounds into coming up with a solution which might have been really cool two years ago, but now looks dated.

Quite apart from the Motorola V560 which is beginning to look like a bit of a relic, the system itself has lots of rough edges, is extremely restrictive and looks like a product in search of a market, not the other way around.

Here's a different take on the BT Fusion / Motorola V560 / Bluephone thing. Not pretty.

Re:Will the cell network have preference?

[Detritus]

The digit '1' is not a toll indicator in the North American Numbering Plan. Its misinterpretation as a toll indicator is a historical artifact of the way that many telephone switching systems were setup in the relay era. When you dialed '1', your local step-by-step central office handed off the call to a toll switch, which could route and connect long distance calls. In the modern world, it tells the switch to expect another 10 digits. It does not indicate a toll call. A 11-digit number can be a local call and a 7-digit or 10-digit number can be a toll call. Programming all 11 digits into a dialer ensures that the call will be completed, whether it's local or long distance.

Re:interesting

[jacksonj04]

VoIP it is. The service needs a BT Broadband line, and the 'hub' routes calls over VoIP.