Subject: [NEXTEL-1] WHERE ARE YOU?

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 18:22:57 -0500

WHERE ARE YOU?
Communications /Mobile and wireless /Analysis

Will mobile calls take WLAN route?

Martin Courtney, IT Week [24-01-2003]

Voice over IP (VoIP) and IP telephony are already widely
supported by companies' wired networks, though many IT
managers remain sceptical about the benefits and cost
savings commonly attributed to converged voice and data
systems.
Channelling voice calls over wireless data networks is a
relatively new proposal, however, and one that has just
been given a substantial boost from Motorola, Proxim and
Avaya. They are pooling their resources to research and
develop reliable, cost-efficient wireless communication
solutions targeted at corporate buyers. Their first products
are due to ship in 2004.
The idea is to give roaming staff access to cellular voice and
data networks, as well as public and private WLANs, from a
single mobile handset that incorporates both GSM and
802.11 capabilities. Motorola will develop dual-mode GSM
and 802.11 handsets able to transfer calls from one type of
network to the other. Proxim will supply voice-enabled
802.11 access points, and Avaya will supply the VoIP
switches and telephony software needed to link the
wireless part of the infrastructure to converged systems.
According to Avaya's vice president of marketing, Jorge
Blanco, such solutions could result in significant cost savings
by consolidating access devices and reducing the burden of
network management.
There is also potential to reduce company telephone bills, if
staff are able to use their mobile handsets to make VoIP
calls either over public WLAN hotspots or whenever they
find themselves within range of their own firm's access
points.
But this depends very much on the establishment of
interconnection agreements between mobile operators,
hotspot providers and corporate users, something which
Motorola, Avaya and Proxim do not appear to have yet
considered.
"The billing aspect represents a big challenge, because
handover between WAN and corporate WLAN will require
specific interconnect agreements that define where one call
stops and the other starts," said Jason Chapman of analyst
firm Gartner. "If the mobile operators set up [such
agreements] with firms, they are in effect agreeing to hand
over some of their revenues so they will be reluctant to
move quickly."
Therefore, mobile operators will certainly want to provide
integrated solutions to corporates themselves in order to
maximise their own revenues.
Another difficulty is that the 802.11b access points that
currently dominate the WLAN market up are not up to the
job of carrying voice traffic. Faster, more reliable 54Mbit/s
802.11g and 802.11i equipment will be required to offer
better quality of service. But the IEEE has not yet
sanctioned final standards for these two specifications.
One more hurdle to consolidated systems is the extra
battery life that will be required to power two
communications chips in the dual-mode handsets.

http://www.vnunet.com/Analysis/1138234

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