Will "Mobile VoIP" Become A Market Motivator?

When I think of enterprise-wide deployments of VoIP, especially IP-PBX systems, I think of lots and lots of wired IP endpoints, with a small variety of wireless handsets deployed over the organization's wireless network. Still, it seems as though the major "endpoint focus" of organizations is towards wired terminals. Sure, we have SpectraLink (now Polycom), Cisco's wireless 802.11-compliant phones, etc. But, what the market has yet to see is a true "dual-mode" cellphone + VoIP endpoint combination.

There are lots of technologies in play at the wireless level. Beyond 802.11, we're at the mercy of the cellular network which may or may not serve the higher-bandwidth capabilities that IP-based telephony provides. Yet, the cellular networks are making strides. When I consider that I'm writing this article while on I-77 somewhere east of Charlotte, NC, I've come to appreciate the EVDO and 3G technologies that allow me to maintain IP-based connectivity even while away from a metropolitan area. What must be considered, however, is how to tune the cellular network to provide quality transport for VoIP calls.

Analyzing this from another perspective, is a "dual-mode" device that allows for cellular voice connectivity and IP-based telephony features really needed? Are we as consumers happy enough with the "twinning" capabilities of modern switches? Do we really need to dial extension-to-extension from anywhere where we have cellular connectivity? These questions must all be answered and affirmed before we'll see significant investment in such a blend of technologies.

Provided that the hardware and software requirements, along with the overall network and infrastructure requirements are quite large for such a deployment and investment, it comes down to a few key questions when considering the convergence market from this angle. Will this technology impact most present-day cellular users? Or, will it only benefit 5% of users as it caters to those who demand such features?

To conclude, it's important to remember this: 10 years ago, RIM and the Blackberry product catered to a very small niche market. Now, the technology and consumer demand has exploded. Will "true" wireless VoIP do the same?

• General discussions
• LANs / WANs
• Network Management
• SMB
• Software
• VoIP / Convergence
• Wireless / Mobile
• 802.11
• dual-mode
• IP-PBX
• phone
• telecom
• telephony
• VoIP
• wireless