T-Mobile to Launch Converged Cellular/Wi-Fi Service this Summer

posted May 3, 2007, 7:59 AM

T-Mobile has been trialling technology that allows Wi-Fi-equipped cell phones to automatically roam between cellular and Wi-Fi hotspot networks in Seattle for several months. Today it announced that it plans to roll out the Hotspot at Home service nationally in mid-June. For an extra $20 per month (and $5 per additional line), customers will be able to use specific Nokia or Samsung handsets to make calls via home Wi-Fi networks or T-Mobile's 8,000 hotspots across the U.S., as well as T-Mobile's regular cellular networks. Customers may use their existing Wi-Fi routers at home, though T-Mobile will offer its own router that's optimized to provide the best service. T-Mobile is also mulling the possibility of allowing customers to plug in a regular landline to the router, which would enable families to share the single line. Sprint and AT&T (Cingular) have also trialled this technology, but have not announced any plans to deploy it.

more info at The Wall Street Journal »

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