It seems ?T-Mobile USA isn’t backing away from Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA)?. I questioned company’s commitment to this technology, which gives them a unique leg-up over their rivals in terms of network coverage. In mid-September, a spokesman categorically told me that the company didn’t have any plans for UMA on Android (s goog).
It’s not very clear which Android devices will support the calling, apart from the new T-Mobile myTouch and Motorola DEFY (s mot). (I’m waiting to hear back from T-Mobile PR.) From what I understand, the Smart WiFi App from Kineto cannot be downloaded from the marketplace, mostly because it only works on specific versions of Android.
The Android app-based UMA offering is very different from the UMA offering on BlackBerry (s rimm) devices or the Nokia E73 (s nok). The BlackBerry devices have system-level integration, where the device automatically switches to and off the Wi-Fi network in the background. That seamless switching is one of the main reasons why T-Mobile sees 40 million calls over Wi-Fi every month.
The new app-based UMA has one advantage: It will go easy on the device battery. The chip-level integration often meant that the phones would ping-pong between Wi-Fi and regular cellular networks, causing the phone battery to drain faster than normal.
Wi-Fi Calling for Android is built upon the same technology as UMA, but is a different implementation from our past offerings. While T-Mobile’s current Wi-Fi Calling solution which operates on BlackBerry smartphones, for instance, seamlessly hands off calls from T-Mobile’s network to Wi-Fi networks, Wi-Fi Calling for Android does not.
A pre-installed application from T-Mobile will allow customers to make and receive voice calls and SMS over an accessible Wi-Fi connection. This provides customers with better in-door coverage and in some cases may provide the ability to make voice calls in locations where they weren’t able to do so previously.
For consumers, Wi-Fi Calling for Android increases coverage and uses voice minutes. [NOTE: calls originate on Wi-Fi, but are carried across T-Mobile’s network once beyond the initial Wi-Fi connection.] T-Mobile also has plans for business which can help defer wireless minutes and provide cost savings.
Wi-Fi Calling will be available on the new T-Mobile myTouch, Motorola DEFY and others Android phones in the coming weeks. We are planning to expand Wi-Fi Calling for Android to as broad a selection of Android devices in our line-up as possible. Éclair (2.0/2.1) and Froyo (2.2) are the Android OS versions that currently support it.
I’m waiting for wi-fi calling/video-callinng by default in Android Gingerbread.