Networking firms Motorola, Avaya, and Proxim are to tie together mobile, wireless LAN and IP Telephony networks.

The trio are to develop kit which will allow seamless roaming between enterprise and mobile networks, a natural progression for WLAN technology that has become a key goal for vendors over the last year or so. By combining resources there's reason for the three companies to hope they can jump to the head of the queue of product development. Unusually for a strategic agreement, this one has the potential to pose a real competitive challenge.

Their jointly developed, standards-based technology will support contiguous voice and data service to users across enterprise networks, public mobile networks, and public WLANs hot spots.

In a statement, Proxim said the convergence of IP telephone, mobile and Wi-Fi technologies will enable businesses to gain new cost savings, user efficiencies, and enhanced communications capabilities (with applications such as on-demand conference calling and speech access to business applications, like email).

Voice-enabled Wi-Fi WLAN infrastructure from Proxim and SIP-enabled communications applications from Avaya are expected to be available "early in 2003", establishing a base for converged communications. Trials of the joint products/technologies are expected to begin in the second half of 2003. ®