DANA POINT, CALIF. - Vendors might be furiously trying to exploit Wi-Fi wireless LAN technology, but the consensus at last week's Vortex 2003 conference was that few have figured out how to make a real business of it.

Intel CEO Craig Barrett, Verizon President Larry Babbio, Jr. and General Motors CTO Tony Scott were among the industry movers pressed on-stage for their thoughts about Wi-Fi (also known as 802.11).Vortex, in its sixth year, is a gathering of high-level network industry executives, investors and entrepreneurs that is run by Network World's IDG Executive Forums division and moderated by Network World's Editorial Director John Gallant.

Several speakers cited Intel's strong backing of Wi-Fi - including heavy marketing behind its Centrino wireless processors and a $150 million wireless investment fund - as a boon for the fast-spreading technology. And Barrett did nothing at the show to temper Intel's support.

"When people say [Wi-Fi is] hype, I get a little riled," Barrett said, noting that the technology has paid its dues in the grass-roots community and is no overnight sensation. "Hell, Wi-Fi is the only exciting thing in the whole industry."

Intel's plans are to get more devices in the market that run Centrino, and that wireless access will boost demand for broadband services, which would generate sales for more powerful computers and devices with Intel technology inside.

Barrett said the opportunities in Wi-Fi are many, especially for companies that put new wireless data infrastructures in place and figure out technical challenges such as roaming. These companies don't need to gouge customers, such as those vendors charging $10 for 'Net access at airports, to make money, he said. Wi-Fi could even stimulate demand for lagging 3G services, he said.

The intersection of Wi-Fi and cellular is key for supporting voice and data needs, Barrett said.

"After 25 years of talking about convergence, this is the first time we've seen real evidence of convergence between the computing world and communications world," he said.

Cisco, too, is betting big on Wi-Fi and might have carved out a leadership position in what Infonetics Research estimates will be a $2 billion WLAN hardware market this year.

"We're investing not just in the enterprise space but in the consumer space" with the recent Linksys acquisition, said Charlie Giancarlo, Cisco's senior vice president and general manager of product development.

Giancarlo dismissed the efforts by a group of wireless switch start-ups that he said are failing to focus on what customers want. He said customers want to greatly simplify wireless in enterprise networks; they want to "put one box in the wiring closet and have an entire floor covered." Cisco plans to elaborate on its WLAN strategy early next month.