Agito Networks today announced that they've ported their mobile/mobile unified communications (convergence) client to the BlackBerry. This is a quite an achievement - the various editions of the BlackBerry constitute for many the very definition of a mobile enterprise communicator, and it will remain an important platform for the foreseeable future. The primary reason for this, of course, is BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which binds the handset into the corporation. This is just as brilliant a marketing job as anything Apple's done, and, let's face it, the iPhone is still fundamentally a consumer, not business, device. But it won't be long before the iPhone (and especially LINUX) start to eat into BlackBerry sales, and, as usual, I digress.
Agito's announcement notes a broad range of features (with more to come, as I discussed with company management recently) and the simplicity of one-box installation. Note that Agito has no exclusive on the BlackBerry, and I fully expect competition here, but this is regardless the first pickle out of the jar, and credit is clearly due. Of course, not all BlackBerrys have Wi-Fi, but I remain convinced that essentially all serious platform phones will over the next few years. Even Verizon is loosening up and offering more handsets with Wi-Fi, and I think we're on track for a number of handsets to have at least single-stream 802.11n support by the end of the year. So, Wi-Fi will be there, and it's really just a question now of what enterprise users are going to do with it.
And this, of course, leads us back to the convergence vs. femtocell debate. If femtocells are successful in the enterprise, as many believe they will be, then there's really no need for a convergence platform. But I think the proponents of a femtocells-only approach are being severely shortsighted here, and perhaps a little arrogant as well. There's a requirement for way more capacity indoors than out, and Wi-Fi adds another 600 MHz. or so of spectrum to the mix. I'm operating on the theory that more spectrum, unlicensed or not, is always a good thing, and I think any assumption that in-building mobile voice and data communications will be successful on licensed frequencies alone is consequently just plain wrong.
And so what will Wi-Fi be used for in the enterprise? Everything! Agito's announcement removes one more barrier to convergence as the norm in enterprise mobile communications, and, if I'm correct about demand, the remaining challenges will be on their way out shortly as well.
Mathias is a principal at Farpoint Group, a wireless advisory firm in Ashland, Mass.
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