Why is a fixed phone network still relevant today?

1. Connect your employees

Your company has different types of phone users. For some of them a fixed connection is the best choice, while others are better served by a mobile service.

• So-called deskbound employees are perfectly served by a fixed connection and a fixed phone network. Those employees communicate most of the time from a stationary workplace. The helpdesk service and internal sales department are examples of  this. They often use a soft client, who permits calling from a pc as well as using applications on their pc.
   
• A mobile device connected to a mobile network is the best solution for office roamers, who are in and out of the office. If they are in, they mostly don’t have their own workplace. For them a fixed connection is only useful when they need to be contacted on a fixed line phone number. Shape & Fix with Cloud Telephony offers full mobile operation combined with a fixed phone number. Users of a DECT phone are also often better served by a mobile device that offers more functionality.
   
• Home workers combine fixed and mobile phone services. They mostly use a fixed internet access. A company laptop ensures a secured connection with the company network over a domestic Wi-Fi network.

Today employees who access applications by smartphone or tablet prefer to do this through a mobile network. More and more this mobile system is gradually replacing the more classical method of working from home. An access by 4G networks can be completed with a connection to the Wi-Fi home network, while a connection over a public hotspot is not encouraged (disabled) for security reasons.

2. Connect your branches (locations)

A fixed connection offers the best performance for capacity and redundancy when connecting branches with numerous employees for which IP VPN  is the best solution.

Even in this area mobile networks are starting to prevail. Suppose you want to install a new branch, where no fixed connection is available. A solution is to start with 4G while waiting for a fixed phone line. Also in branches located where no fixed connection is available, such as temporary pop-up stores, a mobile network offers the best possible solution.

3. Cloud and storage

Huge amounts of data and applications are nowadays on the cloud or stored in a self-owned datacenter at another location, for example an SAN (storage area network) storage network. This is located in a self-controlled area and connected through a private fixed network. Since it often concerns large volumes of data, the large capacity, typical of fixed networks, makes an SAN the preferred choice.

However, also in this category mobile networks become more important. Cloud services (Dropbox, Office365) are established for the end-user. They are used at different locations by smartphone or tablet. These applications and the use of them often have a mobile origin.

Finally, we conclude that there are still several situations where a fixed network is the best choice. However, mobile networks are more and more becoming a valuable alternative. In most cases, both fixed and mobile networks are reinforcing each other.