A TRIO OF high-tech companies -- Motorola, Proxim, and Avaya -- announced on Tuesday a partnership to link Wi-Fi and cellular
networks for voice and data on handsets.
On the front end, Motorola, based in Arlington Heights, Ill., will build handsets with both IEEE 802.11x and cellular radios
integrated inside and include the mobile management within each handset to do the handoff between the networks on the device
side.
Proxim, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., will supply the VOIP (voice over IP)-enabled access points and access control devices
including a centralized gateway for roaming.
Avaya, based in Basking Ridge, N.J., will include its Avaya MultiVantage Software, along with its telephony switches and
its IP telephony capability, including SIP, which allows for presence information to enable the handoff on the network end.
In its first deployments the companies are targeting Wi-Fi in the enterprise rather than hot spot locations.
Over time however, the plans are far more ambitious.
"Our vision is to connect the various spaces, public hot spots, private in the enterprise, and personal in your home," said
Bo Pyskir, senior director of WLAN business development team at Motorola.
In this scenario a user might subscribe to a cellular carrier for wide area access and a local ISP or DSL service provider
for VOIP connections in the home.
Among the major roadblocks to deploying a converged network are billing and battery life.
Pyskir at Motorola said that the power drain on batteries associated with Wi-Fi has been solved and that Motorola-converged
phones will have a battery life comparable with current cell phones.
"We have made significant developments in the area of telemanagement, including power management. More announcements will
be forthcoming," Pyskir said.
As far as billing is concerned, in its first iteration, billing will not be combined. Users on the cellular network will
be billed according to their plan and any billing associated with connecting to an enterprise VOIP or data Wi-FI network would
be handled by that provider in the case of hosted solutions.
The technology behind a "seamless service experience" contains patentable IP technology but it will be deployed on standard
cellular and Wi-Fi networks, said Dave Bonaker, Avaya vice president in the endpoint wireless and security group for the converged
systems division, in Milpitas, Calif.
The service will work with all of the major wireless networks including CDMA, GSM, and iDEN and requires a software upgrade
to access points and the server-based switching software at the enterprise from Avaya.
The phones themselves will have approximately the same form factor as current Motorola handsets. However, the handsets will
include both an .11a/b or a 11a/g technology.
Pyskir said the company is considering licensing the technology that allows the seamless roaming to other handset manufacturers.
The first pilot sites are expected in the second half of 2003 with full commercial services and the handsets available in
early 2004, according to executives at all three companies.
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