Cisco Speaks Mobile Enterprise

Unstrung reports on Cisco's (Nasdaq: CSCO)attempts "to extend its dominance in the market through wireless VOIP technology partnerships that should help to improve the quality of voice-over-WiFi services for enterprise users."

The company is teaminfg up with Intel, Nokia , and Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) to "implement new software updates for wireless voice applications called Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX), designed to be used in conjunction with Cisco WLAN gear."

According to article, "the updates will be implemented at the system level on client devices and chipsets, promising power-saving capabilities, better roaming, and improved call prioritization, as well as improvements to sound quality thanks to reduced "packet jitter.""

Rob Enderle at the Enderle Group said, "Voice has unique requirements, not the least of which is a critical need to avoid latency, and they appear to be pushing extensions that let the network optimize itself for voice traffic. Cisco is incredibly aggressive on voice and is already arguably the company that owns VOIP. They are working to consolidate and strengthen that ownership."

Jack Gold at J.Gold Associates added, "Cisco, because of its size and weight in the industry can drive some of these 'standards'. Of course, this means that Alcatel, Avaya, Nortel and others may decide to do their own things in competition to Cisco, causing some confusion in the market, and potentially causing a lack of product interaction/compatibility, which [exists] already in this marketplace."