VoIP Hooks Up With Wi-Fi

The use of voice over IP (VoIP) and wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) is on the rise at many organizations. The latest trend is to merge these two hot technologies into what's being called Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi). The move to wireless VoIP--spurred in part by the growing demand for mobile wireless connections and the desire to keep communication costs down--is expected to deliver new sales and support opportunities for VARs.

Analysts say wireless VoIP systems will likely grow in popularity as enterprises continue to roll out VoIP networks and deploy wireless LANs in buildings and office campuses. VoIP enables companies to use the Internet for phone calls, saving money over traditional telecom services. Wi-Fi is the standard for high-speed Internet access that creates wireless local networks.

VoWi-Fi is a wireless version of VoIP that will work with devices such as wireless handsets, PDAs and laptops. Experts say the use of Wi-Fi devices for voice calls will give organizations a lower cost option than using cellular phones, and better wireless coverage and voice quality.

"Companies are starting to recognize that their cellphone bills are high, and they are looking for ways to decrease costs," says Ellen Daley, a principal analyst for telecom and networks at Forrester Research, Cambridge, Mass.

Among the industries most interested in wireless VoIP to date are health care and retail, Daley says. The market overall has been small, she says, but will likely grow as the cost of dual-mode handsets (those that support both Wi-Fi and cellular systems) drops.

Meanwhile, vendors are gearing up for the emergence of VoWi-Fi. Among those offering, or planning to offer, products--handsets, wireless LAN equipment or IP switches--are Avaya, Cisco, Motorola, Nokia, Nortel, Siemens, SpectraLink and Symbol Technologies. The major cellphone carriers, such as Cingular, Sprint and Verizon, are expected to offer dual-mode handsets.

VARs say VoWi-Fi will offer new opportunities for sales growth. AdvanTel, which markets Avaya-branded VoWi-Fi handsets made by SpectraLink, expects its sales of wireless handsets to at least triple this year compared with 2004.

"Customers have IP-enabled all these systems in the past two years. Now they're looking for the next applications they can implement," says Dan Ferguson, AdvanTel's vice president. "Wireless is a natural thing. It rides right on top of the IP infrastructure."

Among the hottest markets for wireless VoIP products are hospitals, distribution centers and the IT departments of many organizations, Ferguson says. In many cases, customers will already have a wireless infrastructure and IP-enabled PBX in place, so it's just a matter of deploying handsets. In other cases, VARs can help customers install wireless LAN equipment or upgrade to an IP-based telecom infrastructure.

Mitel Networks, a Kanata, Ontario-based company that offers convergence solutions over broadband networks and resells SpectraLink wireless devices, also sees a growing market.

"Organizations that deployed Wi-Fi now [are able] to leverage that infrastructure they put in for both data and voice," says John Whyte, Mitel's platforms marketing manager for wireless.

Despite VoWi-Fi's potential, there are also barriers to overcome, Forrester's Daley says, such as a dearth of dual-mode handsets, standards needing to be complete to enable fast roaming between wireless access points, and quality of service and interoperability between wireless LAN equipment. "Standards are anywhere from three months away to two years away," she says. *

Bob Violino (bviolino@optonline.net) is a freelance writer based in Massapequa Park, N.Y.

*VoIP technology enables users to conduct voice conversations via the public Internet or private, dedicated IP networks.

*Wi-Fi is the certification for any type of 802.11 wireless network. The Wi-Fi Alliance approves such certification.

*VoWi-Fi is a wireless version of VoIP technology that's designed to work on devices such as PDAs and laptops.