T-Mobile has started offering its new HotSpot@Home service to customers in the Seattle area. HotSpot@Home promises to deliver lower phone bills and greater indoor coverage to customers by using UMA, or Unlicensed Mobile Access, technology to combine regular GSM coverage with WiFi Voice Over IP calling when in range of a home broadband connection or T-Mobile hot spot.

To use HotSpot@Home, customers must purchase a US$19.99 add-on plan to their regular T-Mobile plan, which enables them to use their own in-home wireless network and a broadband connection or T-Mobile wireless hot spot to make and receive an unlimited number of calls.

When out of the range of a wireless network, the handset reverts to using the regular GSM network for calls, which come out of the customer’s plan minutes.

Two handsets are currently available for use on the T-Mobile HotSpot@Home service, the Nokia 6136 and Samsung SGH-T709. Both handsets are available for US$50 each with a two-year service agreement, but also come with a T-Mobile branded D-Link wireless access point. For full specifications of these handsets. T-Mobile has not commented on when the HotSpot@Home service will be made available to other parts of the country

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