T-Mobile trials HotSpot @Home Talk Forever Home Phone in Seattle, Dallas

Well, goodness, try saying that five times fast. T-Mobile has officially unveiled its rather longwinded "HotSpot @Home Talk Forever Home Phone" plan add-on for folks that aren't quite ready to put their landlines out to pasture quite yet, though there's a catch: much like the original, it's beginning life as a trial in just a couple of test markets. Lucky folks in Seattle and Dallas will be able to march into their local T-Mobile outlet and pick up the long-rumored WRTU54G for $49.99 on contract, at which point $10 a month tacked onto their T-Mobile bill will allow them to jack in their old-school landline phones and get unlimited domestic calling. In the event they need a landline phone (o rly?) or are looking to upgrade their 70's vintage AT&T Slimline, stores will also be offering this lovely DECT system from VTech to complete the package. There's no word just yet on when we might see the hardware outside the test markets, but with landline popularity waning the way it is, we'd suggest they get a move on.

[Mr Risto @ Feb 21st 2008 2:34AM]

Add 3G service & I may switch

[anony mous @ Feb 21st 2008 1:23PM]

3G is on its way... it'll be here before you know it...notice 3g handsets avail from tmo? ;)

[David @ Feb 21st 2008 2:57AM]

Looks and sounds pretty similar to the BT HomeHub.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?topicId=16536

[dagamer34 @ Feb 21st 2008 3:10AM]

Moving into Vonage's home turf I see. Interesting.

[Jeff @ Feb 21st 2008 3:27AM]

brilliant ? it seems like a beer company used that once in there ads. NOT

[tricky @ Feb 21st 2008 7:49AM]

I like the idea of this service. I still have a VOIP land-line because I make a lot of international calls and the international rates for most VOIP companies are extremely low. However, while $10 a month for unlimited domestic calling is pretty good you still have to deal with T-mobile's ridiculously high international calling rates. In some cases T-mobile actually charges more to call a country than they do to roam in that same country. Until they get their international rates in line with other VOIP companies this service will lack one of the key selling points of every other VOIP services.

[Joseph Singer @ Feb 21st 2008 8:37AM]

It's not just T-Mobile that has high international rates. Most every wireless company charges rates that are way out of line. If you want to get cheap international calling you have to use a service such as onesuite or gorilla mobile. Direct dial from your phone may be more convenient, but it's also a lot more costly as well. And compannies who do you a favor by letting you pay $4 or $5 a month to get a piddling discount on your direct dial calls from your phone aren't any bargain either.

[David Linton @ Feb 21st 2008 8:42AM]

This service, although appearing similar to Vonage, has a distinct difference that works in TMobile's favor. This device, like the UMA handsets that TMO offers establish an encrypted tunnel between the user and TMO's network. This ensures higher quality as it cannot be filtered by your ISP.

This service works great. I have tested this device and can say that it works as advertised.

For international calls, try a call-back service like Jajah.com to take advantage of $10 a month for TMO and pay-as-you-go international calling.

This is convergence.

[tricky @ Feb 21st 2008 10:04AM]

I already use Gorilla mobile for my cell phone, but the rate still can't beat the rate I get on my VOIP line. I already pay less than $10 a month for my VOIP line and I can direct dial internationally with the lowest rates I can find. I like the elegance of the T-mobile solution and it may be more reliable, but as long as they are going to offer VOIP with standard carrier international rates there's not much point to it if I still have to use a dial around service for most of my calls.

[MMGuru @ Feb 26th 2008 2:55PM]

Totally agree on the crazy international rates that wireless (and increasingly now wired) carriers charge. If they really are going to get into fixed-mobile convergence, they need to fix that. For example, calling Argentina on Vonage costs me 1c/min. To call using T-Mobile costs $1.64! Calling most of Europe is free on Vonage but $34/min on T-Mobile - those are last century's rates! I do use Gorilla mobile, but it's such a half-assed system to use VoIP to bypass a VoIP system! I'll stick with Vonage for now.

[Pete C @ Feb 21st 2008 11:05AM]

For business use VOIP and cell phones don't cut it for a home office. You still need a traditional land line if you live around a big city where there is a lot of bandwidth usage. I am setting up a home office right now, and even with the long distance discounts I just can't deal with VOIP. The voice quality is not there especially after traditional work hours.

[DEE @ Feb 21st 2008 11:35AM]

I am guessing you get hit with a separate line of taxes just like adding another line?

[Bill Brasky @ Feb 21st 2008 11:45AM]

I hope ATT does something like this. Vonage isn't expensive, but this would save $15/mo...