3Com has released a new cordless voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone, targeted at business customers who tend to move around the office a lot in their jobs. The phone uses Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), which means it’s compatible with standard networking equipment that a business might already have. It is also compatible with standards-based wireless LAN infrastructure.3Com expects that such phones will appeal to workers in education, government, health care and retail who spend much of their time away from a desk. Users can transfer calls to other employees, reach a receptionist, listen to voice mail and read e-mail on the phone. They can also customize personal settings such as ring tones and speed dials. The clamshell phone uses Wireless Protected Access 2 and encryption for security. It is called the 3Com 3108 and is available now for US$415. Such standalone Wi-Fi phones may compete with converged cellular and Wi-Fi phones that operators are just starting to introduce. The Wi-Fi-only phones could have advantages over some of the combined offerings because they don’t incur any per-minute usage fees and may work better indoors, although users who leave the corporate campus often might have to carry a separate cell phone and number.3Com is competing with other Wi-Fi phone makers, including networking giant Cisco Systems, SpectraLink and Siemens. Earlier this year, Nokia began selling its Eseries of phones, many of which come with both cellular and Wi-Fi and support SIP for wireless VoIP calls.-Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service (Dublin Bureau)Related Links: Philips, Netgear Unveil 1st PC-Free Skype Phones KeySpan Unveils Skype-Compatible, Cordless VoIP Phone Experts: VoIP Represents Serious Security Risk VoIP Security: When Voice Becomes Data (CSO) Skype Preps Enterprise-Friendly VoIP SoftwareCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content BrandPost The future of trust—no more playing catch up Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Eric Chien, Director of Security Response, Symantec Enterprise Division, Broadcom Mar 31, 2023 5 mins Security BrandPost TCS gives Blackhawk Network an edge with Microsoft Cloud In this case study, Blackhawk Network’s Cara Renfroe joins Tata Consultancy Services’ Rakesh Kumar and Microsoft’s Nilendu Pattanaik to explain how TCS transformed the gift card company’s customer engagement and global operati By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 1 min Financial Services Industry Cloud Computing IT Leadership BrandPost How TCS pioneered the ‘borderless workspace’ with Microsoft 365 Microsoft’s modern workplace solution proved a perfect fit for improving productivity and collaboration, while maintaining security of systems and data. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 1 min Financial Services Industry Microsoft Cloud Computing BrandPost Supply chain decarbonization: The missing link to net zero By improving the quality of global supply chain data, enterprises can better measure their true carbon footprint and make progress toward a net-zero business ecosystem. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 2 mins Retail Industry Supply Chain Green IT Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe