Avaya launches VoIP access points
Firm begins sales of fixed-line/mobile phone architecture in US
Avaya has begun selling parts of its fixed-line/mobile phone architecture in the US. However, no date has been given for when the complete offering will be available in the UK.
Two key components of the architecture, which aims to provide voice over wireless LAN (WLAN), have been developed with Motorola and Proxim.
The W310 WLAN Gateway and the W110 WLAN Access Point will work with Avaya's CallManager suite, allowing calls from Wi-Fi handsets.
"Trials [on joint venture products] have been ongoing for a while now," said Geoffrey Baird, general manager of Avaya's communications appliances division. "Fixed-line/mobile convergence is going to happen. But it needs to be proven, and the fixed-line service providers need to retain their position in the world."
Jason Chapman, senior analyst for mobile communications at Gartner, said vendors see huge potential in the US corporate market. "Motorola is trying this out internally at the moment. It's very encouraging," he said.
Avaya, Motorola and Proxim are not the only vendors working towards combined mobile/fixed handsets. Mitel is working with Symbol Technologies and BT is currently working on Bluephone, a project to offer mobile handsets that use fixed lines when in range of a Bluetooth base station.
Chapman said: "It's difficult to see which vendors will gain the first corporate traction behind fixed-line/mobile. I don't necessarily think it will be Bluephone; there are technical concerns to be overcome."
Chapman agreed with BT's positioning of Bluephone as a home and SME solution.