By Irwin Lazar, Principal Research Analyst and Program Director, Collaboration and Convergence

This week, Nokia (NYSE:NOK) introduced its Peer-to-Peer Traffic Control solution, an extension to its Flexi Intelligent Service Node that enables service providers to apply policies to traffic carried on mobile data-network services. This capability allows wireless carriers to limit or block applications such as VOIP, potentially reducing customer choice and negatively impacting enterprise mobility plans.

IT executives interviewed for Nemertes’ upcoming benchmark, Building a Successful Virtual Workplace, are extending enterprise telephony services both to soft-phone clients on notebook computers, as well as to mobile clients on smartphone devices. Several enterprises are also using consumer services such as Vonage (NYSE:VG) and the privately held Skype for virtual worker communications services.

While enterprise telephony applications are typically accessed across a secure VPN and thus are hidden from peer-to-peer traffic control, consumer VOIP services are at risk. Wireless carriers can use Nokia’s platform to restrict or block competing voice offerings to protect existing revenues from the threat of VOIP or other competing applications.

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