Future converged communication services combining fixed and mobile access will hinge around a common core network, no longer subject to the cyclical upgrades that have characterized the cellular sphere. This is the view of the Broadband Forum (BBF), which is now concentrating on fixed/mobile convergence, and especially emerging core networks that incorporate work on the mobile front by the 3GPP and others. The objective is to exploit multiple access networks as appropriate, including mobile, for converged services, with a current objective being to enhance Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) by combining it with a fixed line element where appropriate, typically fiber. “To make that tangible, you start stretching fiber towards the customer and meanwhile provide FWA,” said Manuel Paul, President of…