If you're wondering whatever happened to Avaya Inc.'s fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) technology – released with some fanfare a couple of years ago – look no further than the telecom service providers. According to Tracy Fleming, Avaya Canada's IP practice leader, US carriers wouldn't certify Motorola Inc.'s CN620 handset – the front end of Avaya's FMC system – to operate on their networks. Without the carriers' OK, the dual-mode, Wi-Fi/cellphone simply wouldn't work. "That pretty much killed it," Fleming said. FMC bridges all sorts of wired and wireless networks, such that users need just one device for all connections. Some US and Canadian phone companies are experimenting with FMC services.

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