TeliaSonera launches UMA service

Pan European mobile operator TeliaSonera claimed to launch the world’s first Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) service Monday.

The Home Free service, which launched in Denmark, uses UMA technology, enabling a mobile phone to function as an IP phone at home through a wi-fi network, in much the same way that British Telecom’s Fusion service will operate when it introduces wi-fi handsets.

The same handset then acts as a cellular phone when outside of the home with one of the benefits of UMA being that you can handover calls from wi-fi to cellular and vice versa. Another benefit, Jesper Brockner, president of Telia Denmark points out is the fact the customer gets a simple voice service with only one phone, one number, one address book and one bill.