The days of the desktop phone are numbered

Enterprise-grade mobile phones will become the default voice device in the majority of US offices by 2011, replacing fixed line devices, says Gartner.T

But the analyst firm warns that organisations will need to plan how they manage usage, support and costs. While “mobile hardware costs are generally less than desktops, mobile services can still cost five times more than a business-wired call and this could represent a huge shift in budget for corporate communications services.”

According to Gartner, the principle driver behind the push to enterprise mobile ubiquity will be the integration of smartphones (and wireless email) into IP telephony systems. However, the rising complexity of the corporate communication ecosystem predicates “preparing the helpdesk for supporting a more challenging user, which could mean employing specialised technicians.”

“Mobile device platforms should be standardised so that application development and support can be centralised and more easily managed,” the report urges.

Related Topics