A spokeswoman for Meru said the company has more than 250 customers and is working on an even larger all-wireless office deployment in Asia, as well as on a large system for a U.S.-based school system in cooperation with other vendors.

Generally speaking, the Osaka experience shows that an all-wireless office is attainable, Dulaney said. "Now that it's been done by a credible enterprise, others should look at it closely," he said. "Many customers have called me regarding the all-wireless office, but I would be pleased if we got even 1 percent penetration. It's hard to get there mentally for many companies."

More dual-mode phones and related networking gear are needed in the market, but "we also need companies to envision the all-wireless office," Dulaney added. "It's tough."