Summer Musings on Wireless VoIP

I have been using my Polycom 550 in wireless mode for the past few months and I love it. I'm not the lucky recipient of a new model of Polycom; mine still has an Ethernet cable plugged into the back of it. But that Ethernet cable then plugs into my wireless Apple Airport Express. The Airport Express allows me to extend my wireless network wherever I have a power outlet. Now that summer is here and the weather’s good, I can even work out on my deck (if only the neighbors would quit mowing their lawns during office hours!). The setup is surprisingly easy to install and the call quality is as good as a regular Ethernet/LAN tethered phone.

The real question is when will all the SIP phone manufactures embrace truly wireless VoIP phones. According to Gartner research director Michael King, 70% of new Internet connections will be wireless by 2011. That figure seems low to me when you consider the smartphone and Netbook phenomenon currently taking place. I can only imagine the sort of market share that a sleek, wireless HD SIP phone would capture (especially if it retailed for under $250). Hopefully the big phone manufactures will come up with something soon rather than see a startup come in and capture the market.