Abstract
Internet service providers (ISPs) are the next wave of communications companies crossing that line as they struggle to find profitability and survival in a very crowded market. Traditionally ISP's have been single-service companies, providing data services at a flat rate for all the Internet services a customer needs, say at Rs1000 per month. This structure leaves little room for expansion. Customers want multiple services, such as Internet, cellular, local as well as long distance and they want to go to one provider to buy them. Convergent Systems enable multi-service packaging and pricing, whereby existing customers are enticed to add new services. By convergence, we mean the coming together of communication media. This means that today, a company that earlier operated as a purely telephony company can now provide a wide range of value-added services through the same medium. This also means a simplified and streamlined billing system.

The article further discusses at greater length the technology of the two basic kinds of convergent system media i.e. the wired and the wireless.

Authors Prashantha G Prasad Prabhu

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