A new In-Stat report entitled "The SMB/Branch Office Service Bundle Enhanced by IMS" suggests that small business/branch office fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) bundles could be worth "billions of dollars in recurring revenue to telecom carriers in a few years."


The research firm found that there's strong demand for these kinds of bundles: more than 80 percent of small businesses and branch offices said they're looking for a bundled offering from a single supplier, combining a multi-service CPE device, integrated transport facilities, hosted voice communication, mobile voice/data services, managed professional services, and IMS-based SIP services and applications.


Still, there are challenges ahead. "A successful rollout of the service bundle must overcome numerous hurdles," says In-Stat analyst Keith Nissen. "For example, network issues such as deployment of IMS network elements, as well as the integration of back office systems must be addressed."