Where Intel goes, so, in most cases, goes the market. The latest standard behind which Intel is throwing its considerable wight is the 802.21. The IEEE 802.21 committee has been tasked with developing protocols which cover both 802-type wireless networks and mobile telephony. The standard will formulate procedures allowing mobile devices to recognize and analyze the radio environment around them; different layers in the software will then suggest, or even trigger, changes from WiFi to 3G, for example.

It's not as if there are no technical problems to be solved here, especially how to accommodate simultaneous operation of multiple radios, such as Bluetooth, GPRS, WiFi, and GPS, and the need to resolve interference issues. When 802.21 effectively addresses these and similar problems, mobile VoIP and other enterprise applications would be as readily used in the field as they are in the office.

For more on Intel's approach to 802.21:
- see Rupert Goodwins' ZDNetUK report