Wired and wireless networking will co-exist for some time. That's the conclusion of experts taking part in a recent industry debate.

Speaking at the Networks-telecom 2000 Wirefree Debate sponsored by the IT web site silicon.com in advance of next month's trade show, John Vaccaro, VP wireless networking EMEA at Symbol, said users can run voice and high-speed data over under-utilised corporate networks. He foresees a time when smart devices will then switch to public network infrastructures such as GSM.

Vendors said that while the pace of development of wireless technology is impressive – in some cases it is beginning to challenge the dominance of traditional wiring and fibre – there is likely to be co-existence of technologies in the future. The result will be mobile access at the edges, and backbone wireline transportation, reports silicon.com.

According to Andy Wilton, director of research at Motorola GSM Products: "Corporate networking will retain a fibre-optic base in terms of the trunking and the consolidation, but beyond that the access into the backbone will be using radio techniques such as Hyper LAN and next-generation Bluetooth perhaps. So there’ll be elements of both the fixed and the wireless in that solution."

However, some suppliers saw faster progress. Jim Sims, president EMEA Enterasys, said: "I do envisage a day when a large portion of corporate networks will be wireless. Ten years ago nobody believed you could do Ethernet on unshielded twisted pairs, and we’re moving much faster than that now, so I’d say it’s a definite possibility."

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