Motorola's new VoWLAN platform extends PBX to mobile devices

Motorola has unveiled a solution that leverages a business' existing Wireless LAN and PBX setups and merges their voice and data functions into a single platform, accessible through Windows Mobile 6.1 devices.

BT North America conducted an online survey of 226 businesses in October and found that 39% have controller-based WLAN architectures, and 22% are actively migrating or have plans to migrate. Though some $20 billion is still spent annually on Ethernet switching equipment, Motorola says its surveys show that 56% of enterprises plan to increase their spending on WLAN equipment next year.

To coincide with this growth, Motorola has developed a platform that utilizes WLAN to deliver the special functions of a PBX desk phone to mobile devices, complete with extension-based numbers, call forwarding, transferring and waiting, push-to-talk instant calling, and group calling. With integrated business applications, the mobile handset gains access to company databases like inventory, ordering, and customer records.

To do this, TEAM uses two servers, a Wireless Services Manager (WSM) that handles push-to-talk services, text messaging, integration with office PBX systems, and a Network Services Manager (NSM) that provides centralized provisioning and device management.

Motorola is using Windows Mobile 6.1 as the linchpin in TEAM's functionality. In the future, the company says dual-mode handsets will be supported, but at its launch, TEAM handsets are single mode (VoWLAN only, not cellular).