New Proxim Wireless CEO Looks To The Future Of Wireless

Taking queues from Apple and its innovative and successful launches of wireless gear and devices such as the iPhone, Manglik said he sees Proxim and other wireless vendors continuing to grow as the world's appetite for anywhere connectivity grows more insatiable.

"One of the things that I've noticed is Apple has been a really good innovator as far as wireless is concerned," he said, adding that two core components of Apple's successful wireless offerings, touch screen technology and integrated WLAN connectivity, will create huge opportunities going forward.

"When that happens, that opens up a huge opportunity," he said. "People get more comfortable with doing data and voice over wireless both indoors and outdoors. People will say 'I should be able to access my voice and data over wireless.'"

Proxim, he said, will continue to make gear that facilitates that shift.

"Wireless LANs, specifically Wi-Fi, will be the main way to access voice and data in two to three years," Manglik said, predicting that within the next 10 years wireless networks will replace the majority of wired networks, mostly because of the introduction of 802.11n and the realization that wireless is often cheaper and easier to install and maintain than its wired counterpart.

"The target market pales today compared to 10 years from now," he said.

And the midmarket will also see a massive uptake of wireless technologies, Manglik said, noting that midmarket deployments of wireless LANs will soon be comparable to the rate of deployment in the enterprise two to three years ago.

Wireless VoIP is also key to the future of Wi-Fi, Manglik added.

"The case for VoIP itself is already sold," he said. "Now we can give you VoIP over wireless LAN, that is the real ROI for that specific application."

And with an estimated 300 million WLAN-enabled devices in use worldwide, a number that is expected to grow to 1 billion by 2011, Manglik said the carrier landscape will also experience a massive shift as the license-free WLAN spectrum gets more use than the multi-million dollars worth of carrier spectrum.

"The WLAN is license-free," he said. "And more and more traffic -- data and voice -- will go over the WLAN. That will create a structural change for the carrier industry."

Ultimately, Manglik said, he hopes to help Proxim move into the next generation of wireless and capitalize on what it can offer. Doing so, he said, will require a strong channel and continued innovation, a challenge he's ready to take on.

"As the world moves at a fast pace toward wireless use in many aspects of our day-to-day lives, it creates tremendous opportunities for Proxim and I look forward to leading the company into a new phase of growth," he said. "Proxim has a history of technical excellence and award winning products backed by a talented team. We also have a global network of distribution and channel partners with a greater focus on sales and marketing execution. I believe Proxim will be able to successfully leverage the opportunities presented to us."