3G. Wireless Communication Solutions

Nokia is pushing to popularize UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) technology in the mass market. The global mobile phone giant is putting the resourcesis to trial its first voice-over-wireless LAN system and service in Finland which will allow mobile users to make use of lower cost voice calls over the Internet.

The system, called Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), is being tested by 50 households in the city of Oulu. They are using the Nokia 6136 handset which is among the first mobile phones to support the handover of voice and data calls between a WLAN and the local GSM network.

The users will be able to roam and handover between local area networks and wide area networks using the same dual-mode handset.

The handset does not need to continuously communicate with a GSM basestation, but will also make calls through WLAN Internet networks. Which opens up the use of lower cost voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) services.

UMA technology makes it possible for users to seamlessly roam and handover between local area networks and wide area networks using the same dual-mode device. Instead of constantly communicating with a base station, UMA allows the phone to also make calls through WLAN internet networks. In turn, this will also make it easier and cheaper for operators to expand their area coverage by implementing WLAN hotspots instead of costly base stations.

More at Electronicsweekly

Skype Wi-Fi VoIP phones already announced by four companies (SMC, Belkin, Netgear, Edge-Core), Skype is working with other manufacturers to produce dual-mode phones for later this year.

Skype current parnters for these GSM/ WiFi dual-mode phones include Nokia and Motorola. One of the issues still to be worked out is whether the dual-mode phones will be released SIM-free, or whether they’ll be able to work out deals with cellular providers. As this sort of Skype experience would be more seamless than some of the current efforts to run Skype on smart phones, including PDAs such as Palm. The key breakthrough is that they could also connect to a mobile network at other times.

This might have been a reference to mobile network 3, which at the end of this year will launch a “specific Skype service” allowing users to call other Skype users for free through their 3 handsets. However, 3’s service will be based through its 3G handsets rather than Wi-Fi, and will probably involve a monthly charge for the service.

While GSM isn’t going to be to everyone’s liking, this is the kind of step forward that is likely to catapult Skype to the top of the VoIP market share, regardless of service category, and help them earn their keep. (Remember that eBay purchased Skype for US$2.6 billion.) Hopefully they’ll be following up with similar announcements for other types of cellular networks.

More detail at Silicon.com