What is Fixed Cellular Terminal - FCT

What Is Fixed Cellular Terminal? A fixed cellular terminal which is also known as fixed wireless terminal or a SIM box is actually a set of equipments. This set contains one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) that use to deliver the landline calls directly to the mobile network. To make this transfer of calls form landline to mobile phones FCT is used as a route after passing which calls are transferred form one place to another. To transfer the traffic through FCT on a mobile network air interface is used instead of Point of Interconnection (POI) between the landline and mobile networks. After this process the call from the landline also use to appear as it is done from the mobile network and charges are deducted according the call rates of mobile phones rather than landline.

How calls are handled in FCT?

Conventional arrangements for handling the calls for mobile services means that access must be given to service providers so that they can generate the fixed-to-mobile calls. To give access to these calls a mobile terminating access service (MTAS) has to be purchased for the operator so that these calls can be terminated form landline to mobile phones. In this process the originating access service provider use to transfer the call from landline to mobile network operator through POI and like this the call is completed. The purchase cost of MTAS is recovered by the originating access service provider through the cost of originating the calls and charges that use to be taken by the customer etc. this schedule of collecting payments is known as “termination” model or the “calling party pays” model.
But for users these calls are always beneficial because they save the money by termination of calls.

Applications of Fixed Cellular Terminals (FCT):

FCT is rapidly growing technology and is expanding day by day. If we talk about new models of FCT devices then we can find that more than 8 CDMA or GSM SIM cards can be used in just one FCT device now. There are many ways in which FCT can be used; we will talk about some of them here.

Remote Location Connectivity means that if any business owns a branch in an inaccessible location where regular telephone line are not working but CDMA or GSM network coverage is available then FCT then help the business there to send and receive the calls in an affordable manner.
Reduction of Charges When Dialing To the Cell Phones of Company Employees: in business daily hundred of times it is required to make calls to number of employees which can cost heavily. But in every company the cooperate connection are established with any specific service provider which mean that all employees are running on same cellular network. This makes most of the calls to the employees free or at low rates. But many times it is needed to call the employees from the landline number and for those calls business has to pay. To reduce this cost FCT use to be installed with landlines so that landline calls can be routed to mobile calls.
Cheaper One Number service: in FCT many PBX use to work on some schedule for dialing the number. That format use to be that they forward all the individual employee calls to land line in the mornings and to the cell phone after the evenings. So this mean that PBX support both cell phones and landlines but according the format. The benefit of using this type of service is that charges use to be same for mobile and landlines. Business has to pay for the minutes that have been used not for the landline calls or mobile calls.