* Chip announcements point to wave of cell phones enabled for WLANs
Last week several chip companies simultaneously announced they were coming out with integrated circuits aimed at bringing wireless LAN technology to mobile phones and other devices.
Conexant Systems touted its IEEE 802.11g WLAN radio for its low power consumption and compact design. It is aiming the chip at “multimedia cellular phones, enterprise handsets, PDAs, and digital cameras.”
Atheros Communications similarly sells its new 54M bit/sec chips on their low power consumption and compact design. The company broadens its range of possible uses to “dual-mode cellular phones, VoIP handsets, MP3 portable media players, digital still/video cameras, and gaming consoles.”
Meanwhile, SyChip unveiled a module that combines an 802.11g WLAN adapter with a VoIP processor, also aimed at dual-mode phones: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/052305-sychip.html
This trend ought to bring enterprise companies a new wave of phone options for employees. With a dual-mode phone, calls can be routed over the enterprise network via VoIP while users are on the companies’ premises. When they leave, the cellular network takes over. (The same could be true for home users as well.) You would only need one phone – wherever you are, the same phone can make all your calls.
On the other hand, the trend also points up the need for securing enterprise WLANs. If anyone can walk into your building with a cell phone – or for that matter, an MP3 player or a camera – capable of using WLANs, you have to have figured out ahead of time whether you will allow them on your network.
