T-Mobile set to offer home phone service?

Question: What do the two largest cell carriers in the US have that the third and fourth largest, T-Mobile and Sprint, don’t? Answer: Home phone service, and TV and broadband packages. T-Mobile is attempting to shorten that divide, though, as they appear to be preparing a VoIP service on top of their Hotspot @Home plan, which was released in June. This helps them even the playing field with AT&T and Verizon, who possess the infrastructure to operate a national phone network.

One might be compelled to ask why T-Mobile would opt for a landline VoIP service when it already had Hotspot @Home. After all, they both act on the same principle: make calls over WiFi and save money over cellular airtime or long distance landline charges.

The simple fact is that not everyone is ready for this mobile VoIP movement. Some are scared off by the technology, while others just want to keep their home phone. People are more apt to give out their home number than their cell number, since a cell phone is considered by many to be a private haven that cannot be reached by just anyone. Thus, those people aren’t ready to ditch the house line and go mobile-only.

T-Mobile is likely to bundle the services, as well as offering them separately. The mobile VoIP would still have value, as it can be used at any T-Mobile Hotspot across the country. And you can keep your landline, too — at a cheaper rate than the phone company.

This could signal T-Mobile’s entrance into further telecommunications media. Should their VoIP service succeed, they could expand it to offer broadband and TV services — though that would require an enormous investment, since unlike VoIP, it requires heavy infrastructure.

It seems, though, that this is the only way T-Mobile will gain on AT&T and Verizon. Offer more services, and open yourself up to new customer bases. It’s risky, but it’s also the best plan we’ve seen yet (sorry Sprint).

[CNet News]

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