RSSNokia Achieves Cellular Calls Over Wi-Fi
By Ed Oswald | Published November 1, 2005, 11:50 AM
Nokia said on Tuesday that it had completed both voice and data calls using the Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) standard at a lab in the United States. UMA is a technology that will allow a cellular call to be handed over to a Wi-Fi network. Carriers see UMA as a way to more cheaply extend their wireless networks.
"UMA is poised to open up a number of new opportunities and choices for operators and their end-users," said Mark Louison, senior vice president at Nokia America. "We're one step closer to simplifying the end-user mobile experience to access voice, personal information, and multimedia services on one device irrespective of their location, whether at work, at home, or on the go."
You're not grasping the possible advantages of something like this. A call over a universal 'uncharged' network means that cell providers, if they want to can make new rate plans to say "free unlimited calling over Wi-Fi/Wi-Max areas"....or they can charge a small fee (similar to a fee that tmobile will charge for tmo to tmo phones) and allow the phones to be used over an available network for free. There's myriad possibilities for the use of something like this. That's only one. Imagine a little more; faster/cheaper internet on your phone/mobile device. Wireless operators now charge A PREMIUM for phones/mobile devices accessing the net' through proprietary network (GPRS/EDGE/EVO,etc). With UMA Wifi they can allow access to these networks for a small fee or free.
I see this as a VERY good thing.
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I see the genesis of "SkypeMobile" suddenly...
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I'm all for it. My cell's reception is HORRIBLE in my room, but I have a wireless router, which I would be more than happy to have handle my wireless calls.
Of course... I'm not sure if that would be possible with UMA. I don't see any details about whether it would have to be a Nokia-owned wireless network.
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be cooler if it was wi-max....
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