55 million will go for Wi-Fi and mobile convergence

Wi-Fi and mobile are set to make even close bedfellows in the coming months, new research has found.

According to figures from Senza Fili Consulting, the number of convergence subscribers will top 55 million by 2010, with 26 million of them living in the US.

The convergence movement will also set the telcos' tills ringing, with revenues from convergence services set to reach $1.6bn by the end of the decade.

While the US will be spearheading the charge to marry Wi-Fi and mobile technologies, Western Europe, Japan and South Korea will become key markets, the report says, as will China, if broadband penetration continues to grow.

Operators are already working on products aimed at taking advantage of network convergence. BT is working on Project Bluephone - a handset that will incorporate a mobile and a wireless element.

The initial mushroom in convergence will come from the spread of UMA (unlicensed mobile access), such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the research says. Operators should then take a look at SIP-based architecture so they can extend their offerings when new standards including WiMax and CDMA go mainstream.