Digitimes, 27 June 2006

Converged Wi-Fi handsets are expected to make a big splash, reports research firm In-Stat. By 2010, shipments of handsets containing Wi-Fi will exceed 132 million devices, noted the firm, adding that carriers have been reluctant to offer Wi-Fi-capable handsets for several reasons, but Wi-Fi has spread so fast that carriers will not be able to resist much longer.

In the end, most US cellular carriers will embrace Wi-Fi in their handsets, as carriers know that if they don't, other carriers will, and these carriers will likely steal away some of their customers. Combo handsets also offer carriers opportunities to provide services such as VoIP over Wi-Fi, lessening impact on their cellular data system.