Voice the 'killer app' for wireless LANs

Voice is the application most likely to drive the popularity of wireless LANs in the enterprise and beyond, according to new research.

Half of the wireless and fixed-line service providers surveyed by market researcher Infonetics Research in a recent study said they will offer 'packetised' voice services in 2006.

Thus far the Wi-Fi market in particular has been slow to take off, though growth should pick up starting next year, according to the study.

Growth will come once the various wireless technologies evolve and allow providers to offer affordable and reliable services. Currently they're still trying to come up with the right pricing structure - 63 per cent of those surveyed said revenue growth is among their biggest challenges.

Over half of the providers said the greatest barriers to market growth are the unproven business model and the lack of mature handsets that can connect to wireless LANs. The top challenges from a technical perspective are network expansion and reliability.

Wi-Fi could get a boost from other wireless technologies such as WiMax and 3G, as they grow and converge with Wi-Fi, according to the study.

When it comes to choosing technologies for their wireless networks, providers said cost is the first factor followed by reach and interoperability

North America is the largest Wi-Fi market while Asia Pacific is the quickest growing, said the study.

In Europe, Scandinavia and Central Europe host the most hotspots.

The study, titled Service Provider Plans for Wi-Fi and Wireless Broadband: North America, Europe and Asia Pacific 2005, was based on interviews with executives at 24 fixed-line and mobile service providers.