VoIP/IP-DECT
In business, DECT has become an essential part of many PABX installations with manufacturer's proprietary methods of supporting PABX features over the DECT standard. Since the onset of the migration from TDM PBXs to VoIP and VoIP hybrid solutions, manufacturers such as Gigaset Communications, Lantiq, Ascom Wireless Solutions, Aastra Technologies, Philips, snom and Polycom have developed IP-DECT solutions where the backhaul from the base station is VoIP (H.323 or SIP) while the handset loop is still DECT. These solutions are sometimes restricted by the cost of the base station but may be economical where the concentration of users is high. Practical experience in 2011 rates the cost of DECT and Wi-Fi base stations roughly equivalent prices. Dect base station coverage is about 2 x that of Wi-Fi. PBX networking vendors such as Cisco promote the adoption of handsets that use VoIP over local Wi-Fi as the replacement for DECT, but this imposes significant overhead on the design and complexity of the Wi-Fi network in order to provide roaming, coverage and reservation of bandwidth, not to mention quality of service. However, this avoids the need for a separate DECT radio network. Other potential competitors for office installations include the Personal Handy-phone System (popular in Asia), and the use of private calls in a local microcell (using a cellular phone technology).
Read more about this topic: Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications