Wi-Fi Wins Big

The results of Networking Pipeline's latest poll are in, and the results are crystal clear: Wi-Fi has entered the enterprise mainstream, and 3G high-speed data services lag far behind.

According to our poll, some 72% of you already use Wi-Fi, an eye-opening number, considering the potential security problems the technology carries with it.

As for 3G, only 18% of you are using it. And the vast majority of those who use 3G also use Wi-Fi. Some 15% of you use both Wi-Fi and 3G, while only 3% of you use 3G alone.

What does all this mean?

It means that the PC, not the cell phone, is still at the center of the network. For all the talk of converged devices, it's still PC technology, Wi-Fi, rather than cell phone technology, 3G, that is in widespread use.Some may say that over time this will change, but I don't think that's the case. Combine VoIP with Wi-Fi, and you have a powerful convergence, and this is the convergence that's most important.

It's an IP world, and becoming more so every day. Cell phones are nice and they're necessary, but expect that an increasing number of people will be making VoIP calls over Wi-Fi, and not many people using 3G for wireless Internet access.