Some CTIA wares are ready for the enterprise

Computerworld - The big news from the CTIA Wireless 2006 show in Las Vegas is convergence -- for the providers and for the networks -- that will first benefit consumers and ultimately organizations.

So while most of the products and technologies on display don't present an immediate value proposition to company operations, once the kinks in delivery systems are smoothed out and the promise of interoperability is realized, much of the functionality can be repurposed for use in company applications.

But a few products were on hand that do have an immediate interest for companies.

Carriers are upgrading their back-end networks to all IP and are building gateways to allow interoperability with wireless LANs (WLAN) and other IP networks. For road warriors, this means that soon you'll only need one device, and it will have network access just about everywhere.

For users who have access problems in their building, home office or even on the road, products like the S-Series from Radioframe Networks Inc. and Nokia Corp. build on the open IP network to deliver access. The S-Series picocell -- basically a small cellular base station -- can be put in a home office or even a hotel DSL line, and suddenly you have a picocell that is part of your provider's cell network. "Mobile operators can deploy this solution by making use of DSL and cable broadband packet-switched networks for backhaul connectivity," said Ari Lehtoranta, senior vice president and general manager of radio networks at Nokia.

Companies that want to deliver applications seamlessly to their mobile workforce on standard handset devices can consult with LogicaCMG plc. LogicaCMG is a systems integration specialist combining expertise in IT infrastructure with telecom back-end and handset delivery. It services the finance, utility, industrial, public service and telecom verticals. According to Owsin Eleonora, vice president of global telecoms at LogicaCMG, "Logica is cutting-edge but very quiet about it." Indeed, the company invented the SMS message, which is something most people don't know.

On the user side, nearly all handset manufacturers will have dual-mode phones that operate on both the licensed cellular frequencies and the unlicensed WLAN frequencies on the market by next year. The idea started with Always Best Connected, where mobile units would choose the best signal depending on user parameters, such as reliability and cost. Using the WLAN network for call services is known as Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA). Delivering services over an IP network, UMA can be used by IT departments to increase mobile performance and in-building coverage.