Cisco Partnership on Voice Over Wireless LANs
Not surprisingly, the equipment suppliers have made their moves. Networking major, Cisco Systems has formed a partnership with Intel, Nokia, Research In Motion (RIM), and other technology suppliers to drive adoption of ‘voice-ready wireless networks’. For example, Cisco has started the Compatible Extensions program that will test other suppliers’ products for interoperability.
To test other vendors’ products for interoperability, Cisco created a Compatible Extensions program. A program participant, such as a maker of a wireless LAN client adapter or a client device, must first develop features that support Cisco, and then submit the product to an independent lab for testing. Products that pass the tests earn a Cisco-compatible logo and can be deployed on top of Cisco’s WLAN infrastructure.
Still unclear is how much demand there is for phones that operate off a company’s wireless LAN, because most businesses have extensive internal phone networks in place and phones on just about every worker’s desk. The key to selling the technology will be evidence that it improves productivity or efficiency.
Voice over wireless means companies can extend their voice-over-IP networks and converge them with WLANs. It has the potential to change the way people stay connected at work, letting employees take their phone extensions wherever they go.
Read more Big Guns on VoIP over WLAN
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