Analysts talk up voice over wireless Lans

The number of US organisations deploying voice over wireless Lans will triple over the next two years, from 10 per cent to 31 per cent in 2007, analysts have predicted.

According to a new study by Infonetics Research, this stellar growth is being driven by the growing availability of wireless VoIP handsets and voice-enabling wireless infrastructure.

"While increasing employee mobility and productivity are currently the top reasons for deploying wireless Lans, voice over wireless Lans is a growing driver and is potentially disruptive," said Infonetics Research analyst Richard Webb.

"The traditional model of time-based and distance-based pricing for voice calls is being eroded by VoIP, and as VoIP goes wireless it presents an opportunity for enterprise users and a challenge for operators."

Over the next three years Infonetics estimates that 57 per cent of small, 62 per cent of medium, and 72 per cent of large organisations in North America will deploy voice over wireless Lans by 2009.

According to the analyst firm, the leading barriers to wireless Lan adoption are security and privacy. However, intranet or VPN access and internet access for guests top the list of applications that will be implemented over wireless Lans.

Wired Lan backup, and asset and RFID tracking, are seen as "promising applications".

Over 40 per cent of firms that responded to the Infonetics study indicated that they have a wireless policy that defines how employees can use the wireless Lan and other wireless technologies.

While some 44 per cent of companies deploy and manage their access points separately, without the use of wireless Lan switches, this approach will have declined by 2007 as centralised control architectures gain traction and the number of wireless Lan switch ports grows significantly.

The study was based on in-depth interviews with 240 small, medium and large organisations using wireless Lans.