Many of the technical problems involved in running voice over Wi-Fi have been solved: Hospitals already use Vocera, SpectraLink, and other proprietary systems in life-and-death situations every day. The challenge is making the technology cheap enough to be cost-effective in less-critical situations, as well as simple and reliable enough to attract cell phone users.
Cordless telephony is hardly revolutionary, but the combination of VoIP and Wi-Fi could still have an enormous impact. It's a vital requirement in seamless mobility and might eventually form the core of fourth-generation mobile networks. In the meantime, Wi-Fi telephony is even benefiting enterprises that don't use it by spurring cellular operators to roll out services such as PTT.
With most Wi-Fi vendors now touting voice, there's little extra cost in choosing equipment that can support it. To future-proof your network, use Wi-Fi switches with WMM capability and fast interswitch handoffs. But don't invest in phones themselves until they support 802.11i: Without it, you're taking a big security risk.
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Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
