* Are all-wireless access networks really right around the corner?
A few articles published lately imply that enterprises are imminently ready to deploy 802.11n, which will then quickly drive them to unplug their Ethernet cables in favor of all-wireless access networks. The rationale is that from a speed perspective, 802.11n – the next-generation wireless LAN likely to support 300Mbps of theoretical throughput initially – will begin to compare favorably with the performance of many companies’ wired-Ethernet desktops.
Seems to make sense. But are all-wireless access deployments really “imminent?”
Recent studies do indicate that the majority of enterprises plan to implement 802.11n – some day. One WLAN survey, conducted in June by Kubernan of 300 IT folks involved in enterprise WLANs and sponsored by Nortel, for example, found that 64% planned to use 802.11n and 6% are already using it.
But 65% also said they would not deploy “pre-N” networks; that they would wait for final standards to be ratified. And that’s an event not expected until late 2008, with standards-based products to follow. In fact, 44% of the Kubernan respondents said the biggest inhibitor to 802.11n deployments was that standards ratification and standards-based products were still at least a year away.
Meanwhile, 42% said that back-end wired infrastructure upgrades needed to support 802.11n represented the second biggest inhibitor. Those investments aren’t likely to get made by enterprises that haven’t calculated a real bandwidth need. And just 1% of the respondents said they need the capacity afforded by 802.11n today.
The coup de grace? 56% said they “wouldn’t consider an all-wireless network in the near future.”
Historically, new-network hype precedes mainstream deployments by several years. With nearly two thirds of respondents waiting more than a year for 802.11n standards and more than half saying they won’t be going all-wireless anytime soon, what does that portend?
Greenfield implementations might be the first to go pure 802.11n and run all-wireless access networks in some sites (as will some small companies). Will large enterprise access networks yank out all their Ethernet cables anytime soon? Doubtful. They’re already there, they’re paid for, and they work just fine.
