Techworld's Peter Judge today says interest in Wi-Fi phones has "exploded." The VoWi-Fi handset market went up by 76 percent in 2005, and will double to $200 million this year, according to Infonetics Research. And dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular phones are on an even more rapid growth curve.

Infonetics analyst Richard Webb says it's all about eliminating the need for organizations to maintain separate voice and data networks. "Voice makes wireless LANs more desirable, and mobility makes VoIP more valuable," he says. "It's natural that they are converging into a powerful enterprise mobile voice solution."

Dual-mode handsets made up a third of the world Wi-Fi handset market last year, largely because of the Asia Pacific region, which makes up half of today's dual-mode revenue. But interest is fast spreading globally, thanks to the convenience of combining voice and data, fixed and mobile, all in one package.