The Wi-Fi Alliance has introduced a new certification program for voice-capable Wi-Fi devices in home and small office environments. The program extends beyond interoperability testing to test the performance of products and help ensure that they deliver good voice quality over the Wi-Fi link.

Driven by the growing popularity of Wi-Fi technology and voice over IP (VoIP), the Wi-Fi industry has developed a new certification program for voice-capable Wi-Fi devices in home and small office environments. Today, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Voice-Personal program as well as some of the first products that have achieved this certification.

"Wi-Fi enabled devices are increasingly used for data and multimedia applications," said Edgar Figueroa, executive director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "Our certification programs deliver interoperability and quality of service between Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices. Now, the Voice-Personal program goes to the next level, helping to ensure good voice quality for calls made over a Wi-Fi network."

Estimates from analyst firms forecast shipments of Wi-Fi/cellular converged phones to number between 250 and 350 million units in 2011. In a converged Wi-Fi/cellular phone, Wi-Fi connectivity can offer significant throughput to support bandwidth-intensive applications. By allowing subscribers to utilize Wi-Fi for voice as well as data on converged phones, carriers can manage licensed spectrum resources better, as subscribers make and receive calls using a combination of licensed and unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum. Additionally, voice over the Wi-Fi network can mean improved indoor coverage

"We are seeing increasing expectations from wireless subscribers that handsets include Wi-Fi technology to handle both voice and data, and carriers are responding with an array of offerings combining Wi-Fi and cellular service," said Victoria Fodale, manager, Market Data/Intelligence for research firm In-Stat.

Voice over Wi-Fi is typically used within mixed voice and data environments, in which multiple data streams compete for the available network resources. Products that successfully achieve Voice-Personal certification prioritize voice communication over data, audio, or video traffic.

Devices from Broadcom, Cisco, and Intel are among the initial  devices to become Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Voice-Personal.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of over 300 member companies promoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs).