It came to my attention just recently that a key proponent of the 3GPP Interworked Wireless LAN (I-WLAN) specification has passed. I-WLAN is a 3GPP specification designed to enable ‘nomadic’ devices (e.g. laptops) to access services in the mobile core network over a Wi-Fi/IP connection.
I-WLAN provides a secure connection and authentication mechanism which is similar to UMA. The fundamental difference between I-WLAN and UMA is that I-WLAN lacks mobility for sessions whereas UMA provides seamless mobility for circuit and packet services between IP (Wi-Fi) and GSM networks.
Azaire Networks (www.azairenet.com) disappeared at the end of March, just before the CTIA show. While the I-WLAN specification will live on in the 3GPP, it is likely to become one of the hundreds (?) of specifications which are developed but never achieve any commercial success in the public network.
It’s not enough to have a good idea, technology needs to solve a fundamental business problem. UMA lets mobile operators extend their voice and data services over the low cost, high performance IP access network, and create Home Zone 2.0 services. UMA’s continued success is a direct correlation to demand from service providers.
3 comments:
Is Azaire Networks death confirmed ?
Yes. We have spoken with former Azaire people who have confirmed the company shut down.
The Azaire product line has been acquired by IntelliNet Technologies. Details are available at www.intellinet-tech.com.
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