TMCnet Feature

If one were to look in the crystal ball of the wireless landscape, most likely the future would look a whole lot different than the world today.

That was the message Perry Correll of Xirrus, drove home during a Thursday morning keynote address on the second day of ITEXPO (News - Alert) East 2012, the world’s largest communications conferencing happening this week in Miami, Fla.

Correll kicked off his lecture by painting a clear picture of what the enterprise looks like today, namely that people are increasingly starting to bring their own devices to the office to access cloud resources, and can do so wherever they want, whenever they want, and on any device of their choosing. As he so aptly put it, “It’s all wireless.”

Speaking to this point, Correll shared that 38 percent of businesses have replaced their desktop and notebooks with tablets. And, by 2014, the industry expects there to be 11 billion WiFi (News - Alert) hotspots – a sure sign that devices like the iPad have changed everything.

According to Correll, high-performance wireless is not only possible, but it is a necessity. That’s because the device-to-person ration has exponentially increased over the last few years and is showing no sign of stopping. And, because wireless traffic over mobile devices continues to rise, a “wireless tipping point” is not far off in the future. We can’t say we haven’t been warned, however, as Gartner (News - Alert) predicted last year that, in only a few years, a majority of newly installed wireless networks – approximately 80 percent – will be “obsolete because of lack of proper planning.”

Additionally, as shared by Correll, wireless traffic will exceed wired traffic by 2015, while mobile Internet traffic is expected to grow a whopping 26 times from 2010 to 2015 at a CAGR of 92 percent. This, in turn, is driving a pertinent need for wireless that is high-performance, scalable and, of course, reliable.

Sharing his take on this “WiFi revolution,” Correll noted that the future is in 5GHz and other frequencies, as opposed to today’s 2.4GHz. As more and more people pack on their device load, and settle into an “anytime, anywhere” mindset for connectivity, the time to start planning is now, said Correll.

“People need to start looking at WiFi as their primary network and design it that way,” he told a packed room on Thursday.

Part of this designing has to do largely with density, which Correll said is a key element to accommodating increased demand, adding that if device intensity and traffic continues to rise on a network that doesn’t scale, so will complaints. Meanwhile, wireless networks that used to function properly will begin to fail.

Part of this plan is the ongoing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend permeating the business environment. Correll recommended implementing wireless systems that can identify different types of environments and classify and manage devices based on type, class and user.

Accordingly, with the proper design of the next-generation WiFi environment, everyone – no matter how many individuals – will be able to have connectivity in a room. The industry, Correll said, must begin addressing the density issue, performance, security and, in particular, scalability. This, Correll said, is where WiFi is headed. 

Xirrus is intending on mirroring the ever-changing cellular industry – which has transitioned from a coverage-heavy view to a capacity-focused landscape, thanks to the implementation of more radios, spectrum re-use, and higher signal levels.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, happening NOW in Miami, FL. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO registration click here.

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