BelAir Networks issued a press release today that is remarkably long on buzz (which gets special editorial attention this week in many venues because of the CTIA conference) but short on specifics.
BelAir seems to claim that they will eventually update their products to accommodate a new type of "access" radio module that will provide wireless telephony capability in addition to Wi-Fi (current) and WiMAX (intermediate future). But no dates... no specifics on which wireless telephony standards (GSM? CDMA? 1xEV-DO?)... no technical details at all.
What's interesting in this announcement is what's not stated. It's very hard for a startup to try to elbow their way into specialized niches for wireless telephony infrastructure - ask RadioFrame Networks who has been trying for several years now to do much the same thing as BelAir plans to do, but selling "interior wireless infrastructure" systems. BelAir's recent partnership with Lucent Technologies makes this a much more credible announcement, and this announcement goes a long way towards explaining (very large) Lucent's interest in (comparatively small) BelAir Networks.
What's also interesting is that BelAir Networks backhaul is "pure IP"... no accommodation for the more usual T-1 infrastructure that wireless telephony companies hold so dear.
It will be interesting to see when/if such a product actually emerges. Despite the comfort factor of Lucent Technologies being a distribution partner, the "discomfort factor" of IP-only backhaul and "mesh distribution" may well be a bit too much for typical wireless telephony carriers. My bet is that Voice Over Internet Telephony Over Wi-Fi (VOIP/Wi-Fi) will be a more fertile market; it's happening already.
By Steve Stroh
This article is Copyright © 2005 by Steve Stroh
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