Rogers to offer Wi-Fi calling soon?

Rogers may offer its own take on a Wi-Fi calling solution in the near future, say multiple tips sent to Crackberry. The service would be known as Rogers Home Calling Zone and would replicate many of the features found in services such as T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home; devices that support Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) would be used to offer unlimited calling from any Wi-Fi access point and could seamlessly bridge to the cellular phone network and back to avoid interrupting calls.

The service would be similar if not identical to a similar service proposed for Fido, Rogers' sub-label, and would primarily target home users rather than businesses. However, the phone selection would likely be different, according to the sources: while it may share the Nokia 6301, the higher-end Motorola Z6w of Fido's service would be replaced by the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone. At least one will be available at launch.

The sources partly corroborate reports of the Fido service by suggesting that it would be available on the same May 6th date, but conflict on its nature; while the Fido option has purportedly soft launched already, the Home Calling Zone service would not enter the same phase until its fellow carrier is formally introduced. Pricing will allegedly be the same with $15 per month providing unlimited local calls and $20 per month for nationwide calling.

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: Nokia, BlackBerry, T-Mobile, Rogers, Pearl, HotSpot@Home, Fido