Most of us have heard of fixed wireless on mobile networks but some of us may not have had any clue as to what it really was or how it worked. So we went to the pioneers in the industry for answers, a company called Telular Corporation (WRLS) hailing from Illinois. They have designed patented products, which can only help to accelerate wireless carriers' ability to extract further value from their infrastructure investment, steal market share from the local phone companies and increase their annual revenue to the delight of stockholders.

Nor has Telular left anything to chance as their products incorporate all the major air interface standards used in wireless networks around the world. The most compelling product line that we noticed was their fixed wireless telephone, a device with both commercial and residential applications. It was the residential application of their products which drew our interest because it is literally the same as a local dial tone service. The only difference is that these devices connect via wireless instead of using fixed lines.

We spoke to Dan Wonak, Senior Vice President of Marketing about this specific product line. We were informed that although the company has a worldwide distribution, their focus in the US was with carriers that serviced the rural markets. Thanks to Telular, consumers in rural areas now have more choices among carriers to provide their local phone service.

One of their largest clients, Western Wireless (also known as Cellular One), seems to have embraced fixed wireless as a source of revenue. They offer fixed wireless dial tone service in the upper Midwest at the shockingly low price of $14.99 with unlimited local calling. While providing such wireless dial tone in major metro areas may seem less likely due to the many choices of landline service providers, customers are still looking for a compelling calling plan, and the transport infrastructure to carry that service will play a minor role as long as quality of service is delivered.

Telular has also given wireless carriers the ability to peel off commercial dial tone accounts as well. They have developed equipment that will allow a company's PBX system to route calls to mobile phones utilizing their "least call routing solution". This service could potentially save a business thousands of dollars in telecom expenses.

Where we have heard about everyone jumping on the broadband bandwagon, Telular Corporation has been quietly working in the background to develop equipment that would work on a carrier's existing infrastructure. Landlines will never be entirely replaced by wireless but it has the potential to change the current face of telecom services.

Where the future of fixed wireless may lead is only known to Telular and the wireless carriers. Hopefully it will be a future that we can all appreciate. Local phone companies may as well accept the fact that more and more consumers are going entirely wireless because it is cheaper in some cases with the low priced calling plans being offered.