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Nokia Begins Testing Dual-Mode UMA Handsets in Northern Finland

7:45 am on July 30, 2006 | Category: Cell Phones, Mobile Devices, Wi-Fi, Wireless Technology

Finnish cell phone giant, Nokia, has started its first tests of Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), a technology designed to let customers roam seamlessly between Wi-Fi hotspots and normal cellular networks.

Fifty families in the city of Oulu in northern Finland are testing the technology with Nokia 6136 dual-mode mobile phones. This allows them to make calls over a public Wi-Fi network while within the cityâ€™s downtown area, and switch to a GSM, GPRS, or UTMS cellular network when out of range of a hotspot.

â€œThis pilot project in an important step forward in bringing functional UMA technology to the mass market,â€ said Nokiaâ€™s senior vice president of mobile phone R&D, Peter Ropke.

Once dual-mode handsets become mainstream, wireless carriers will be able to add limited coverage in remote and under served areas through the installation of Wi-Fi hotspots. It will also make it possible for customers with home Wi-Fi networks to make cheap calls on their cell phones, potentially eliminating the need for a landline in every household.

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