From the boardroom to the stockroom to the lunchroom, mobile accessibility is increasingly available and expected. So why are so many companies still tangled in a tether when it comes to their most basic and enduring business tool — communications?

Hands-free telephony is not a new concept in office environments, but past attempts to change the work routines of office jockeys and cubicle farmers have met with varying degrees of resistance. The Dilberts of the world have not embraced beltpacks and clumsy wired headphones in order to emancipate themselves from their desks — not in meaningful numbers, at least.

Mobility for the working masses still means using a cell phone or an overhead paging system — even when tracking down coworkers who are just down the hall or in a nearby conference room. GN Netcom hopes to change that situation. At the CTIA Wireless industry show that opened Monday in New Orleans, Louisiana, the company unveiled its 9120 wireless headset, which addresses many of the weaknesses of earlier systems.

Desk Phones Slow To Evolve

Headset advances and executive telephony products are targeted primarily toward stationary, service-oriented professionals: call center operators, sales agents, help desk administrators and receptionists. Many of these users have found headsets add greatly to their comfort levels and productivity. Yet the early adopters in these occupations are using wired headsets for the most part, due to their custom sizing capabilities, voice quality and price.

When it comes to wireless hands-free headsets, “there are three primary obstacles: battery life, range and voice quality,” Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney told NewsFactor. GN Netcom claims to have made strides in all of those areas.

Walk Away from Your Job

In addition to an unprecedented working range of up to 300 feet from its charging station, the 9120 combines a customizable headset with conferencing capabilities and eight hours of talk time. (But Dulaney said he tends to divide battery life specifications in half until new devices are battle-tested.)

Operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency, the system uses standard digital spread spectrum (DSS) frequency hopping; the signal hops frequencies 90 times per second. Additional provisions for privacy are handled at the base-station level, where the 64-bit encrypted signal is decoded. Arriving at the same time as new Wi-Fi networks, these new headsets are designed to ward off potential interference with 802.11 devices and each other.

Smart Power Management

Battery life is conserved through a “smart power management” design, whereby the power is adjusted in relation to the headset’s proximity to the base — similar to the method used in a cellular network. When a user approaches the charging station, power is throttled down accordingly. As many as 50 headsets can be introduced into the same office setting.

Weighing in at just an ounce, the headset itself is as light as anything seen in the mobile phone space. On-the-ear versus over-the-head configurations allow for personal preferences, as do the three different styles of boom microphones.

Instant Conference Room

The optional GN 1000 RHL remote handset lifter allows increased flexibility for users to answer and end calls while roaming away from their desks. And while they are away, users of the standard 9120 can simply insert their headset into a colleague’s charging station to be verified and take advantage of the system’s unique conferencing feature.

This evolution in team conferencing is sure to attract attention and interest from a variety of office workers. It allows conference calls to occur just about anywhere, and dismisses the notion that people need to assemble around a table and yell into a centrally located speakerphone. Up to four conferencing coworkers can participate in this fashion, enabling creation of a “virtual conference room” whenever needed.

“The GN 9120 was developed with the needs of the busy professional in mind,” said Tobe Cohen, senior vice president of marketing at GN Netcom. “Its unique features — including its unprecedented 300-foot range, stylish design and conferencing capabilities — allow business professionals to continue working even when they are hundreds of feet away from their desk,” he told NewsFactor. “It also works with an organization’s existing telephone infrastructure, making it the obvious choice for decision makers looking to cut costs.”

The GN 9120 was launched with a list price of US$349 and should be available soon through HelloDirect! and other communications distributors, the company said.