Samsung, LG license technology to seamlessly pass calls from cellular to WiFi

So Samsung and LG both announced deals with a company called Kineto Wireless Inc. that's developing a hybrid wireless technology that can seamlessly pass a call from a cellular network to a WiFi network without interrupting the call. Called UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access), the technology is designed to provide better call quality indoors (where your cell shouldn't otherwise work, natch) by switching over from a weak cell signal to a stronger in-home WiFi signal. And even though this would potentially lighten the burden on crowded cellular networks by diverting calls from company towers, the carriers are hesitant to embrace it — because they don't want consumers to find out that making VoIP calls via WiFi is cheaper. Huh. Yeah, we're not so sure this will prevent them from finding out. Anywho, actual products incorporating this technology are probably not exactly around the corner or anything, but Samsung did say they'll be developing new handsets with it, while LG will use it to develop "hybrids" which, whatever they'll be, sound good by us. Plus, we like the rebellious feeling we'd get from using any technology whose name includes the word "Unlicensed."

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

Not to pee on anyone's parade, but UMA is actually something US operators are pushing hard. It allows them to avoid improving their poor cellular coverage by routing the calls via the Internet instead of the cellular network. Traffic is still going through the operators so the calls can be billed just like regular cellular calls.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

In other parts of the world, this will probably take off.

In the US it'll fail because our carriers suck. Suck ass. Blow. Blow hard.