Networking colossus Cisco Systems Inc.
and mobile data technology expert Xircom
Inc. Wednesday teamed up to cooperate in the development of wire-free
network adapters.
Based on the IEEE 802.11b Wireless Ethernet standard, the two companies
agreed to amplify efforts to provide mobile data solutions for Wide Area,
Personal Area, and Local Area Networks.
The collaboration deal expands Cisco’s flagship Aironet
wireless LAN product offering, as it will include a family of industry
standard network adapters to provide a complete mobile data networking
solution.
Cisco and Xircom intend to jointly develop and market
handheld, universal serial bus, mini peripheral component interconnect, and
personal computer card adapters in both industry-standard and Xircom-unique
form factors.
Larry Birenbaum, Cisco vice president and general manager for the desktop
switching business unit, said its partnership with Xircom is all about
developing the high-speed wireless marketplace.
“Cisco is delighted to collaborate with Xircom in developing and marketing
industry-standard, wireless LAN adapters, and enabling true network
mobility for organizations worldwide,” Birenbaum said. “Our collective
efforts will yield superior wireless solutions, and help establish
high-speed wireless LAN connectivity as a must-have solution for mobile users.”
For Xircom’s part, its RealPort2 data technology will be used in integrated
personal computer cards to provide additional flexibility that allows users
to select from separate function cards and for a fully customized,
cable-free solution. RealPort2 cards can be used alone or mixed and matched
with other proprietary cards including Ethernet, ISDN, 56K modem, 802.11b,
and wireless data.
Dirk Gates, Xircom chairman, president and chief executive officer, said
the agreement allows it to develop its leadership in wired mobile data
access with Cisco’s leadership in the Internet infrastructure market.
“With the adoption of the IEEE 802.11b standard, the WLAN market is now a
viable solution for deployment in a variety of locations and applications,”
Gates said.
According to research by eTForecasts, only 2 percent of the
Internet users in the U.S. currently access the Internet with a Web appliance.
But in the next five years the availability of portable appliances will
dramatically change the marketplace and developing adapters for existing
networks is the key.
By the end of 2005, eTForecasts predicts that 55 percent of Internet users
in the U.S. will access the Web through handheld devices, in addition to
personal Internet access for home use.
The same report predicts that worldwide web appliances will have an even
stronger impact on wireless access to the Internet. At the end of this year
it’s estimated that 6 percent of Internet users will access the Web through
a portable device and that the market segment will grow to over 71 percent
by the end of 2005.
Wireless LAN access allows users with laptop, notebook, and handheld
devices to move freely within a campus or building environment while
maintaining uninterrupted connections to centrally located data and the
Internet.
One of the first new wireless adapters to be developed as part of the
agreement between Cisco and Xircom will be Xircom’s Springboard 802.11b
wireless LAN module, which incorporates Cisco’s Aironet technology. The
adapter is tentatively scheduled for availability late this year.
