The post-spectacular celly

The everywhere phone

http://www.btplc.com/Innovation/Mobility/everywhere/

A mobile that works over the fixed network - mobility, flexibility, simplicity and...cheaper calls. BT is the first telecoms company to work on this unique application of modern technology to bring customers high quality on-the-move calls at a low cost.

It is simple. One phone that can be used anywhere - home, office or on-the-move in public Bluephone enables sites. It acts like a mobile but it has better reception, better voice quality and is cheaper to use than a mobile because it operates over BTs fixed line network.

A fantasy of the future? No, a reality for next year when the latest BT product - code-named Project Bluephone for now - is scheduled to launch.

It is a step into a different league of telecommunications - one which combines the best of state-of-the art communications technologies and yet offers the domestic or business customer greater simplicity and calls at a cost lower than current mobile calls.

Project Bluephone - the name was inspired by the Bluetooth wi-fi technology it uses - began in April 2003 and a public launch is pencilled in for April 2004. The 12-month development stage could be considered almost leisurely for the man who developed and launched BT Openzone in six months: John Lee.

World first

John, BTs wi-fi general manager Convergence, is heading up Project Bluephone and says, as far as he knows, BT is the only company in the world pursuing this technology combination for its customers.

"Bluephone is a BT-developed product and is the first in the world thats being done this way, although other people are playing with tariffs," he said. "It means you can use a mobile phone when in Bluephone-enabled sites - that could be in homes, offices or public places - and you make your call via your mobile phone over the fixed network rather than mobile network. This gives improved voice quality and improved coverage therefore very good reception over a low-cost, fixed network. Youll still get your mobile voice and data - SMS messages and voice mail - over fixed network.

"The user needs to be within range of a Bluephone-enabled site - home, office or maybe some public sites such as coffee shops - to have the call go across the PSTN network. When out of range, the handset will act as a standard mobile phone and send and receive calls over the GSM network. We are aiming for seamless roaming as the project progresses."

Currently, the project has undergone a successful trial at BT Centre in London and an invitation to tender for the network infrastructure technology - the widest BT has put out - has gone to 65 suppliers. To date it has received a large number of responses from around the world. A full business case will follow, leading to further internal and external trials.

Driving force

Theres a strong commercial driving force for BT to encourage mobile users back on to the fixed network. About 20 per cent of UK households dont have a fixed line - a decline over the last five or six years from a figure that neared 100 per cent at its peak. Research also shows that about 30 per cent of mobile calls are actually made from the users home.

"Even if people have a fixed line they are still making mobile calls from home," said John. "BT wants to maintain and grow its share of the fixed line and mobile revenues."

"The project is seen as being very strategic, putting BT back into the mobile market place, and increasing mobile customers and fixed revenues as well. Its also tied in to existing major business and consumer product development programmes within BT."

These are programmes such as mobility at home, a family-centred package, where a consumer customer can have up to five handsets on one contract. They get free calls up to two minutes long - a handy offering if the households children are calling home to be picked up, for instance.

Bluephone requires a handset containing specially developed software. The intention is that the customer will be able to choose from a variety of BT- or supplier-branded handsets, although some DECT ( Digital Enhanced Cordless Communications) products may be able to be used with the new service.

"We want to make this as cost-effective for the user as possible," said John. "For a reasonable initial outlay, it will be improving the quality of mobile calls, be easy to use and ultimately saving you money. We will be offering significant cost savings against todays mobile spend."

The Bluephone team is expecting sales to rocket as the nation catches on to the benefits.

Said John: "Erring on the conservative side, I predict thousands of Bluephones will be in use next year, and millions in year three. There are 27 million households with a BT line, so if each household buys just one handset, thats a lot of potential sales!"