If any of the cell carriers was going to stop the ridiculous boycott of WiFi, it would be T-Mobile. The company already has an 8,500 node WiFi network operating under the HotSpot brand. While other carriers discourage WiFi in phone handsets from fear of losing call revenue to VoIP, T-Mobile has just launched HotSpot @Home.
Currently only available on two handsets, the Samsung t409 and the Nokia 6086, the service will seamlessly switch networks when WiFi is available, from GSM to WiFi and back again, depending on what is available.
The system automatically joins open WiFi networks, which could open up a whole can of "Stealing WiFi" worms, and also existing T-Mobile HotSpots (although you'll need to pay a $10 a month flat fee on top of your call plan, $20 for a five line family plan). The best part? Initiate a call via WiFi and take a wander. The call will switch to the cell network, but the whole call will be free.
The worst part? Start a regular cell call and, if you switch to WiFi, you'll still be charged full whack. T-Mobile is positioning HotSpot @Home as a fixed-line replacement: Now you can ditch your landline and use the same handset wherever you are. Also available is a T-Mobile HotSpot router from D-Link or Linksys, which piggy-backs on your existing home router. The phones will not authenticate to secured networks, so if you want to keep your home WiFi locked down, you'll need to get one.
Press release [T-Mobile]
