T-Mobile is set to begin offering corporate customers the ability to use BlackBerry devices to make calls over office Wi-Fi connections without using up cell plan minutes. Calls initiated via office Wi-Fi would automatically switch over to T-Mobile’s network when the caller left the office, too.
T-Mobile is positioning the offering as a way for businesses to ditch their landlines altogether in an effort to save money. However, T-Mobile “will charge a flat monthly fee on top of cellular rates,” according to Reuters. The fee will vary based on the number of users.
The service is similar to network-extending devices offered from Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon, although those companies sell hardware boxes that extend cellular coverage using a customer’s home broadband connection, while T-Mobile’s offering would work with standard wireless routers.
[via Reuters]
Is no one else familiar with T-Mobile @ Home? We’ve been using it for over a year. Blackberry has WiFi, and send and receive calls over WiFi for $10/mth for unltd mins. Even works in areas with no cell service.
I dont get this…This sounds like old news to me. I use UMA in the office and at home. I don’t pay a flat fee, but calls routed through the internet still use our minutes.