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Danes Getting Hybrid IP Mobiles

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the still-waiting-for-mine dept.

praps writes "UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) technology is here — well, in Denmark — meaning users can access mobile and Internet (IP) telephony on the same phone. The same phone that works outside the home as a normal mobile phone that automatically seeks out a mobile network can also be used as an IP phone, which uses wireless technology to make very low-cost calls."

7 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Good thing! by Cybert4 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hopefully we'll get IPv6 going so we can speed up cost savers such as this.

    Although maybe the cell companies will see this and sabotage the IPv6 process.

    The only problem I see with this is taking off from the house while in a call. Cell phone latencies for connect are in the multi-second range. May not be an issue as we already have call hand-offs between towers. Also, sometimes my WiFi gets iffy for no good reason. I'd like a smooth handoff to cell in this situation as well. But anything to cut into rediculous cell bills is a good thing!

    1. Re:Good thing! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Although maybe the cell companies will see this and sabotage the IPv6 process.

      Why would they need to? Its doing poorly enough as is.

      I work for a national telecom in an European country. You can have a guess which one, there aren't too many. Anyway, last autumn (2005) we got our first customer requests from businesses (corporations) for native IPv6 support and throughout 2006 there has been dozens of others who are wanting it - both from small to medium sector and from large multinationals. Granted, 9 out of 10 are only asking about it because all the consultants are now selling it as the latest buzzword because MPLS has already been sold to everybody, but others actually need it.

      Either they are software developers and need to test their IPv6 support OR (and this is a growing number) they are companies doing business in China (or in Asia in general), where IPv4 addresses are a prenium.

      So yes, we've got several customers who would be willing to pay for IPv6 support - and we're starting to offer it soon, due to DEMAND. Consumers don't care about IPv6 all that much yet, but consumer access is a loss leader anyway :)

      Anyway, China's economic growth is a major driver for IPv6.

  2. Gads. by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just goes to show what you can do without corporations owning your lawmakers.

    I suppose any day now some vested external interest will claim this is denying them hard earned income and try to sway the Danish parliament to ban this or at the very least put it under the supervision of an oligarchy.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. It is in the USA by abelenky17 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have such a phone, in a beta-test. Its a cell-phone most of the time, but switches to my home WiFi network when I'm home. Tester-agreement prohibits me from saying much of anything about it. But it exists, its here, I use it, I like it.

  4. Nothing new... by elFarto+the+2nd · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Nokia E60, E61 and E70 are capable of SIP calls over WiFi.

    I'll hopefully be getting mine this week, in the UK.

    Regards
    elFarto
    1. Re:Nothing new... by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 4, Informative

      The difference is that UMA allows IP and GSM calls to use the same phone number.

  5. It is in the USA... by MDMurphy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Just because you hadn't heard about it, or aren't forward thinking enough to do a search, doesn't mean it's not in the USA. Just because the article said "world's first" didn't make it so.

    Business Week:
    http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug 2006/tc20060814_285305.htm

    Wi-Fi Planet
    http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/news/article.php/362874 6

    Daily Wireless:
    http://www.dailywireless.org/modules.php?name=News &file=article&sid=5708

    From the Daily Wireless page:
    "Indeed, T-Mobile is not the only telco pushing into at-home wireless services. Already, AT&T (T) expects to introduce two new at-home offerings in the coming months."

    This page:
    http://www.blackberrytoday.com/articles/2006/7/200 6-7-28-Nokia-Takes-Dual.html
    Says there's reportadly 20 UMA trials going on right now.