T-Mobile offers landline VoIP

T-Mobile enter the landline market with VoIP service targeting its cellular customers

VoIP, unified messaging, products and services

Last week, T-Mobile added to its HotSpot @Home portfolio a VoIP-based wireline service called Talk Forever Home Phone, released in Seattle and Dallas. The service lets customers make unlimited calls from their home phone. T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home portfolio was launched nationwide in June 2007, when the company rolled out a Wi-Fi-based add-on service for its mobile subscribers (priced at $10 a month). The latest service also marks T-Mobile’s entry into the landline market with a VoIP service targeting T-Mobile cellular customers who have a broadband connection and who still want to use a landline voice service at home. The HotSpot @Home service provides unlimited mobile calling from any T-Mobile Hotspot and open Wi-Fi networks - including home and office-based Wi-Fi routers connected to the Internet.

The Talk Forever service will compete with other VoIP services supplied by Vonage, AT&T CallVantage, and Verizon’s VoiceWing. Like other VoIP services, Talk Forever includes a wireless VoIP router that connects to a DSL or cable modem, with a built-in gateway and connecter for traditional home phones. Users can keep their existing phone number with the new service. Unlike other VoIP services typically priced at $25, the T-Mobile service is priced at $10 a month but with one caveat: to get the reduced price, landline subscribers must also buy a qualifying T-Mobile wireless plan. A per line activation fee and two-year agreement are required, and a $200 early cancellation fee and other upfront and monthly charges may apply.

For T-Mobile subscribers like Larry (who already uses the HotSpot @Home service to reduce chargeable mobile minutes when at home and in the office), the $10 monthly fee is an attractive alternative to other landline VoIP services. And while the HotSpot @Home service does generally provide good voice quality using a dual mode wireless handset with Wi-Fi connectivity, it is subject to dropped calls on occasion so a landline alternative is still a good idea for users who aren’t quite ready to cut the cord. Although T-Mobile hasn’t yet disclosed plans for a nationwide rollout of the Talk Forever service, we will watch with interest to see if the newest landline VoIP competitor will make a competitive dent in the traditional voice service market or against VoIP alternatives.

To continue reading, register here and become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

Last week, T-Mobile added to its HotSpot @Home portfolio a VoIP-based wireline service called Talk Forever Home Phone, released in Seattle and Dallas. The service lets customers make unlimited calls from their home phone. T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home portfolio was launched nationwide in June 2007, when the company rolled out a Wi-Fi-based add-on service for its mobile subscribers (priced at $10 a month). The latest service also marks T-Mobile’s entry into the landline market with a VoIP service targeting T-Mobile cellular customers who have a broadband connection and who still want to use a landline voice service at home. The HotSpot @Home service provides unlimited mobile calling from any T-Mobile Hotspot and open Wi-Fi networks - including home and office-based Wi-Fi routers connected to the Internet.

The Talk Forever service will compete with other VoIP services supplied by Vonage, AT&T CallVantage, and Verizon’s VoiceWing. Like other VoIP services, Talk Forever includes a wireless VoIP router that connects to a DSL or cable modem, with a built-in gateway and connecter for traditional home phones. Users can keep their existing phone number with the new service. Unlike other VoIP services typically priced at $25, the T-Mobile service is priced at $10 a month but with one caveat: to get the reduced price, landline subscribers must also buy a qualifying T-Mobile wireless plan. A per line activation fee and two-year agreement are required, and a $200 early cancellation fee and other upfront and monthly charges may apply.

For T-Mobile subscribers like Larry (who already uses the HotSpot @Home service to reduce chargeable mobile minutes when at home and in the office), the $10 monthly fee is an attractive alternative to other landline VoIP services. And while the HotSpot @Home service does generally provide good voice quality using a dual mode wireless handset with Wi-Fi connectivity, it is subject to dropped calls on occasion so a landline alternative is still a good idea for users who aren’t quite ready to cut the cord. Although T-Mobile hasn’t yet disclosed plans for a nationwide rollout of the Talk Forever service, we will watch with interest to see if the newest landline VoIP competitor will make a competitive dent in the traditional voice service market or against VoIP alternatives.

Read more about voip & convergence in Network World's VoIP & Convergence section.

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.