The IEEE has officially approved 802.11r, a useful, if somewhat late, amendment to the original Wi-Fi (wireless) standard. The modification allows Wi-Fi equipped hardware to continue functioning like normal even when a user moves between the coverage of two wireless networks.

Previous methods were known to cause brief delays and connectivity problems when this happened, which made using Wi-Fi for Voice-over-IP (VoIP) more problematic, not to mention the problems it would cause online gamers and similar services.

The new standard will be of use to wireless Hotspots running a shared user base, which are often part of roaming agreements between several operators. Unfortunately it may not be enough to save Wi-Fi from the growing tide of Mobile Broadband products, although such services often fail to support the likes of Voice-over-IP.