Wi-Fi handsets plug into strong growth

Worldwide Wi-Fi VoIP handset revenue will see strong growth until at least 2009 as steady adoption continues, according to Infonetics Research. 

VoIP handset revenue totalled £36m last year, and the research firm said that there are 143,000 handsets in use.

Infonetics' biannual Wi-Fi Phones report estimated that dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular handset revenue hit £4.5m in 2004, and predicted that Wi-Fi capability will become as common in cellphones as it is in laptops today.

Richard Webb, directing analyst at Infonetics, said: "Wi-Fi VoIP handsets represent a small market today, but show great potential particularly in logistics and healthcare."

Infonetics also predicted "enormous growth" in the consumer space, as VoIP services and wireless gateways are bundled with a broadband connection such as BT's Fusion announced last month. BT is expected to announce a Wi-Fi version later this year. 

Business users will increasingly gain access to Wi-Fi cellular handsets allowing them to roam across 3G networks, home networks, corporate wireless Lans and Wi-Fi hotspots.

Barriers to growth are seen as quality of service, roaming across different wireless platforms, and the relatively short range of Wi-Fi signals.

"Vendors are currently addressing these issues, so it is likely that we'll be at the foot of the adoption curve by mid-2006," said Webb.