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VoWLAN, an emerging VoIP technology for providing voice packets over wireless LANs, has been mostly targeted at vertical industries such as healthcare, retail and manufacturing. However, the rapid growth of Wi-Fi infrastructure along with new developments such as softphones, communication standards such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the emergence of dual mode (Wi-Fi and cellular) handsets indicate that VoWLAN is headed for mainstream markets. What's in it for the service operators? "Wi-fi enabled cell phones will give mobile phone customers a high quality and seamless voice and rich data experience from the home to the enterprise to the hotspot cafe. This translates into a 24/7/365 always on power user for the operators to sell services and content to," says Mareca Hatler, ON World's Director of Research. Recent product launches and demonstrations indicates that we are very close to this reality. At the September Intel Developer Forum, Intel and TeleSym demonstrated a "Universal Communicator" prototype handset that combines Intel's Adaptive Communications Technologies with TeleSym's SymPhone software to accomplish seamless roaming between wireless Internet networks (Wi-Fi) and the GSM cellular network. Startup Kineto Wireless secured $24 million in September to accelerate the development of their Mobile over Wireless LAN solution that gives mobile operators a way to track voice and data over WLANs whether in the enterprise, home or hotspot. What's in it for the IT departments? Meanwhile, companies selling to the enterprise are gaining traction by easy to demonstrate presentations on the return on investment (ROI) of mobile workforce technologies. The flexibility of VoWLAN and other IP based mobile devices to network and integrate into their current LAN-WAN infrastructure as well as the ease of deploying WLAN's in remote office and field locations has been fueling new developer opportunities. What's in it for equipment manufacturers? These needs have sparked much innovation and many new entrants are expected to emerge to solve issues such as seamless roaming and billing, reduced power consumption, security and advanced PBX telephone functionality that goes with the user wherever he/she may go. Leading PBX vendors such as Avaya, NEC, Mitel and Nortel Networks have all embraced Voice over IP and the new systems that emphasize data over legacy voice communications. They are also incorporating products that provide more mobility such as wireless SIP phones. This year, we have even seen the beginning of alliances between the mobile and enterprise worlds. In January, Motorola, Avaya and Proxim announced an alliance to develop a dual mode handset. Then in April, Motorola announced a similar alliance with NEC and AireSpace. Nokia also has plans for a dual mode handsets. When will it happen? ON World projects that nearly 90 percent of all handsets, handhelds and laptops will be Wi-Fi enabled by 2007, for a total of more than 700 million devices. At least half of these will include VoWLAN technology as more users learn about the convenience of using one number, and often one device, wherever they may be. This makes VoWLAN an essential component of the future of communications whether you happen to be a 3G or Wi-Fi champion. More information on VoWLAN, Wi-Fi enabled handset and softphone markets may be found from "VoWLAN: The Rapidly Evolving Voice over Wi-Fi Landscape," published in September 2003, available from ON World's website at http://www.onworld.com. About ON World:
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