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Wouldn't it be great to have your own cellular tower at home? You'd always have a strong signal on your mobile phone, and you wouldn't pay to use the carrier's network. It sounds like pie in the sky, but it is the gist of what T-Mobile USA rolled out: the option to use your Wi-Fi router instead of the cellular network on two new T-Mobile phones. For those who have poor reception in their homes and would like to drop their landline, T-Mobile HotSpot-At-Home appears to be a good choice.

It is not like having a cell phone that also happens to work as a cordless phone. You have the same number, whether you are on Wi-Fi or cellular. And in an engineering feat, the new phones can hand over calls that are already in progress from Wi-Fi to the cellular network if you leave the hotspot. That means you can start a call at home and then keep talking as you walk out. Apple Inc.'s iPhone doesn't do that even though it has built-in Wi-Fi!

Currently T-Mobile is offering the unlimited Wi-Fi voice plan for 9.99 per month for a single line, and $19.99 per month for up to five lines. The company says that the phones are aimed at customers in the 18-34 age range and for families. However sources familiar with T-Mobile's new offering say that it's only a matter of time before these products show up in the enterprise arena.

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