Nortel (News - Alert) has announced its vision for the ‘Unwired Enterprise’ that aims to enable businesses create all-wireless office environments.

 

Unwired Enterprise will also benefit from seamless universal mobility both in and out of the office, enabled by true wireless broadband capable of supporting all communications needs.

 

Nortel also plans to increase its R&D investment in the development of a complete next-generation enterprise wireless and mobility solution. This solution will include next-generation wireless LAN and mesh products supporting access at speeds three to six times faster than today’s rates, a portfolio of enterprise switches and routers with embedded wireless functionality, and unified network management that provides end-to-end support across an enterprise data network from a single management platform.

 

“Nortel is focused on delivering a next-generation wireless LAN solution that transforms how enterprises use their networks,” said Steve Slattery, president, Enterprise Solutions, Nortel in a statement to the press.

 

He continued: “We are leveraging Nortel’s world-class 4G wireless expertise in the cellular world to enable enterprises to realize the benefits of true broadband wireless while simplifying their business. This is an example of how Nortel’s strong presence in both the service provider and enterprise markets can provide unique benefits for our customers.”

 

According to John Roese, chief technology officer, Nortel, pervasive broadband wireless access is a fundamental part of a hyperconnected world, not just for Internet access, but increasingly to provide instant access to critical business applications and information.

 

Roese said that with the performance and reliability of next generation wireless LAN solutions, enterprises can fully embrace the benefits of mobility knowing that the constraints of wired-only networking and artificial service boundaries are removed.

 

“The Unwired Enterprise will provide workers with pervasive wireless access to the network from anywhere on or off campus, for any application be it voice, data or video,” he added.

 

Nortel is a pioneer in the development of MIMO/OFDM and expects to use this same expertise to develop a new portfolio of wireless LAN products supporting the MIMO-based IEEE 802.11n standard. The company will develop the products in line with the 802.11n standard, and release it in the second half of 2008.

 

Joanie Wexler, an independent analyst and editor at Joanie M. Wexler & Associates points out that directly supporting wireless control capabilities in wired infrastructure equipment will serve several important purposes in future’s heavily loaded, multimedia WLANs.

 

Wexler believes running certain wireless functions directly in distributed switches and routers will improve application performance while allowing enterprises to retain simplicity in their overall network configurations.