Voice over wireless LANs (VoWLAN) is fast emerging as one of the most potentially significant converged technologies of the future, seamlessly combining WLANs with VoIP. Although it faces several challenges in its path to wide-scale adoption, consulting company Frost & Sullivan says developments such as the introduction of dual-mode handsets and the ratification of various 802.11 standards indicate a positive market outlook for the rest of this year. The company estimates that revenues for the European VoWLAN market will grow from �6.6 million in 2004 to �1.99 billion in 2010. The 14 mobile phone manufacturers and telcos that comprise the Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) group have taken the initiative to allow 802.11-equipped handsets to make calls through their Wi-Fi hotspots. This, says Frost & Sullivan, is a major driver for the VoWLAN market. "It is no surprise, therefore, that the momentum behind UMA is upbeat within the mobile domain, especially from the carriers that stand to gain tremendously from such an initiative," said Luke Thomas, Research Analyst with Frost & Sullivan. "Fixed-line carriers could also use the UMA to provide mobility solutions to their customers, provided they have a Mobile Virtual Network Operator agreement."
The global cloud computing market is undergoing new significant growth, driven by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and the demand for flexible, scalable infrastructure. The recent market study by International Data Corporation (IDC) provides compelling evidence of this transformation, highlighting the accelerating growth in cloud infrastructure spending and the pivotal role of AI in shaping the industry's future trajectory. Shared Infrastructure Market Development The study reveals a 36.9 percent year-over-year worldwide increase in spending on compute and storage infrastructure products for cloud deployments in the first quarter of 2024, reaching $33 billion. This growth substantially outpaced non-cloud infrastructure spending, which saw a modest 5.7 percent increase to $13.9 billion during the same period. The surge in cloud infrastructure spending was partially fueled by an 11.4 percent growth in unit demand, influenced by higher average selling prices, primari