Combo Wi-Fi cell phone imminent.

Excitement has been building in some tech circles since late May when it was suggested that Motorola and partners Avaya Inc. and Proxim Corp. were almost ready to launch what they have dubbed the "enterprise phone." This new gadget can seamlessly switch voice phone calls from a wireless LAN (Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP) to a wide-area cellular network. Excitement continued to build when FCC approval was given for the device south of the border in early July. At press time, no announcement had been made of a release date but it was expected to launch in September.

Essentially the new technology will give end users a mobile version of a wired enterprise desktop phone, equipped to handle four incoming lines. Users will be able to juggle calls, as well as forward and conference in other parties.

The three-way partnership was formed in early 2003 but is just coming to fruition with these most recent announcements. The partnership believes that this new level of convergence will allow businesses to gain new cost savings, user efficiencies, and enhanced communications capabilities through device consolidation.

The IP telephony application will be enabled by Avaya MultiVantage Software. Motorola will create network mobility management components that control the hand-off between local (WLAN) and cellular networks. Proxim will provide voice-enabled Wi-Fi WLAN infrastructure, quality of service software and centralized management systems to facilitate hand-offs between access points. To check in on progress now visit www.motorola.com/wlan.