The companies are looking to attract wireless service providers who are seeking to deliver new value-added services to their enterprise customers.

The IBM/Cisco offering would ensure corporate employees on 2G/GSM-enabled campus of uninterrupted access to wireless voice and IP-based services such as corporate data networks or the Internet. This is in stark contrast to the current unreliable, weak signals that most mobile employees encounter when trying to maintain a phone conversation or access data within the parameters of their office facility.

The IBM/Cisco initiative is built on the belief that "the next generation of wireless infrastructure for communications and data services delivery within the enterprise will combine wireless access to local IT resources and public wireless, legacy telephone and IP networks," said Ed Paradise, vice president and general manager of Mobile Wireless at Cisco Systems. The IBM/Cisco alliance is committed to offering "customers open, scalable solutions for multi-service next generation communications," Mr. Paradise added.

For the mobile service provider, the new solution will allow them to enhance utilization of their available wireless spectrum and take advantage of new revenue opportunities. Having continuous high-quality wireless access, the enterprise will be able to launch new m-commerce initiative, augment existing communications services, and deliver more content and new applications to users.