November 3rd, 2004
Handsets To Be Key VoWLAN Driver
In a new study entitled User Plans for Wireless LANs, Infonetics Research maintains that mobile VoIP solutions will be a key driver for enterprise-level Wi-Fi applications development.
Right now, mobile VoIP is a niche application. Of the 240 corporate, small businessand organizational respondents to the Infonetics study, only 8 percent use VoWLAN now. The number is projected to jump to 27 percent by August, 2005 and 33 percent less than a year later.
I think the August, 2005 numbers are somewhat on the high side. Some users are slow to buy into loudly trumpeted security fixes. So call the 8/2005 adaptation levels around 20 percent. As security and usability improve, though, enthusiasm will spread through enterprise.VoWLAN usage levelsin the 30 percent ballpark by 3Q 2006 would not surprise me.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
