Vonage to debut wireless IP phones

By late summer, Vonage will offer Wi-Fi phones as a way for customers to connect to its IP voice network, making it possible to use the devices at multiple locations without using a cellular service.

Using a handset made by UTStarcom, customers will be able to connect to Vonage's network by accessing the Internet through wireless access points. The phone establishes a connection with an IEEE 802.11b or 11g access point and communicates through the access point to reach the Internet and access Vonage's VoIP network, which completes the calls.

The phones will work on home wireless networks that have a broadband Internet connection, public Wi-Fi hotspots and corporate Wi-Fi networks. Customers at public hot spots that require payment will still have to pay and log in to the Wi-Fi access point via the phone's keypad.

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By late summer, Vonage will offer Wi-Fi phones as a way for customers to connect to its IP voice network, making it possible to use the devices at multiple locations without using a cellular service.

Using a handset made by UTStarcom, customers will be able to connect to Vonage's network by accessing the Internet through wireless access points. The phone establishes a connection with an IEEE 802.11b or 11g access point and communicates through the access point to reach the Internet and access Vonage's VoIP network, which completes the calls.

The phones will work on home wireless networks that have a broadband Internet connection, public Wi-Fi hotspots and corporate Wi-Fi networks. Customers at public hot spots that require payment will still have to pay and log in to the Wi-Fi access point via the phone's keypad.

Customers will pay for the phones, but Vonage says it has not set the price. The recurring cost for the Wi-Fi service will be the same as its current plans for wired phones, which range from $14.99 per month to $49.99 per month. Each phone gets its own phone number.

The current alternative to using these phones is a wired IP phone or plugging analog wired or portable telephones into an adapter that converts the voice and signaling to IP.