T-Mobile USA today nationally launched a wireless service that extends its combination cellular / Wi-Fi hotspot service to home wireless LANs.
T-Mobile HotSpot @Home provides automatic transfer of calls between a home Wi-Fi network and T-Mobile’s GSM/GPRS/EDGE wireless network. It also supports call transfer to and from T-Mobile Hotspots.
The launch includes two new phones— the Samsung t409 and the Nokia 6086 — retailing for $49.99 with a two-year contract on a qualifying rate plan.
The service requires specially-equipped wireless routers and T-Mobile has tapped D-Link and Linksys to provide the first models. The Linksys WRT56G-TM is a special version of its 802.11b/g WRT54G. No details were available for the D-Link router.
For a limited time, to kick off the launch of T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, the service can be added to any qualifying T-Mobile voice plan for only $9.99 per month for a single line, and $19.99 per month for up to five lines on a FamilyTime plan.