Alcatel today announced the latest version of its wireless Alcatel Operating System (AOS) and a series of new access points (APs) that provide lower costs and increased user mobility. The latest AOS delivers new features for the Alcatel OmniAccess Wireless LAN (WLAN) product family for better support of voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) traffic. The Alcatel OmniAccess WLAN is Alcatel’s next-generation enterprise Wi-Fi switch platform that seamlessly integrates with Alcatel OmniSwitch LAN switches and the Alcatel OmniPCX IP telephony platforms to deliver enterprise-class security and services for both on-site and mobile users.

Available now, the new release adds quality of service (QoS) features to support the evolution of enterprise Wi-Fi networks to carry voice and mission- critical data. A new call administration control (CAC) capability built into Alcatel WLAN switches manages the number of Voice-over-IP devices that are associated with a specific Alcatel AP and can seamlessly redirect overflow callers to neighboring access points.

With a following release scheduled for Q2 2006, the Alcatel OmniAccess WLAN will support two additional Voice over Wi-Fi enabling features: Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)-compliant QoS and Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery (U-APSD) support. WMM is a Wi-Fi Alliance standard that specifies voice, video, and data traffic priority. Alcatel’s QoS capability is application- aware, allowing an Alcatel Wi-Fi network to differentiate between voice and data traffic from converged Wi-Fi devices like smart phones, giving the voice traffic priority over data. Support for the U-APSD protocol extends the battery life on VoWi-Fi devices.

“The proper support of wireless VoIP is what many enterprises need to transition their Wi-Fi networks from a limited, data-only role to supporting full-fledged, mission critical voice and applications,” said Tom Burns, general manager of Alcatel’s data networking activities. “The new capabilities and APs announced today enhance Alcatel’s ability to deliver a secure and mobile converged enterprise-wide network.”

New OmniAccess WLAN Access Points Extend Network Reach

Alcatel also announced the availability of three new access points that add low cost, mobile worker flexibility and outdoor Wi-Fi capabilities to the Alcatel OmniAccess WLAN product family.

The Alcatel OmniAccess AP 65 (OAW-AP65) is a very small, portable dual- radio AP that can be plugged into a broadband connection at home or in a hotel to set up a wireless network that can securely access enterprise network voice and data services.

The Alcatel OmniAccess AP 80P (OAW-A80P) is an all-weather dual radio access point that provides Wi-Fi voice and data services to outdoor or other environments where moisture or extreme temperatures are present. The AP 80P is ideal for college or enterprise campus environments or for shipping or transportation applications where users are not in temperature-controlled environments.

The OmniAccess AP 41 (OAW-AP41) is a very cost-effective single-radio, multi-band (802.11a/b/g) AP for home office networks or for high traffic networks that need dense deployment of low-cost APs. The OAW-AP41 is powered by a power-over-Ethernet-capable 10/100 RJ-45 port and features an internal antenna.

Pricing and Availability

The new wireless software is available now, with a subsequent release planned for Q2 2006. All of the new Alcatel APs are also available now.

Source: PRNewswire