Wi-Fi and VoIP: Is sum greater than parts?

Wireless local area networks and Net-based phoning have been among the most talked-about emerging technologies for businesses over the past year, and now, vendors are introducing products they say will help companies combine the two.

"Wi-Fi and VoIP are powerful technologies on their own," said Richard Webb, directing analyst for wireless LANs at Infonetics Research. "But together, they are far more powerful. It's sort of like adding one plus one and getting three."

Equipment vendors have been targeting these markets separately, but so far, adoption has been slow. According to a study Forrester Research conducted, only about 20 percent of the 818 companies Forrester surveyed said they had completed or were in the process of rolling out Wi-Fi or wireless LANs. About 15 percent said they had completed or were in the process of rolling out voice over Internet Protocol systems.

Experts agree that combining these technologies will help push each of them further. As a result, equipment makers are starting to beef up their offerings. On Monday, Alcatel and Nortel Networks, both strong players in the voice market, announced new wireless products.

Alcatel announced that it will resell wireless switches, appliances and access points from start-up Airespace. The products will be marketed and sold under the Alcatel OmniAccess brand. Alcatel said the equipment

adheres to the 802.11i security standard the Institute of

Electrical and Electronics Engineers ratified, which provides strong encryption for data carried over wireless networks. Alcatel also said the products will support the 802.11a/b/g standards, which promise to improve security and enable higher throughput and VoIP. The IEEE is expected to ratify the 802.11a/b/g standards this summer.