T-Mobile non-committal on UMA for Android

T-Mobile USA is not going to extend its Unlicensed Mobile Access calling feature to its wide array of Android smartphones, according to the blog GigaOM.

According to the blog, a T-Mobile representative said last week that the nation's No. 4 carrier will continue to support UMA calling for Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry devices and the Nokia (NYSE:NOK) E73, but didn't mention the carrier's growing line of Android phones. T-Mobile has been one of the strongest supporters of Google's mobile platform.

A T-Mobile spokeswoman told FierceWireless that the carrier has not made any announcements regarding future plans for UMA.

T-Mobile first introduced unlimited WiFi calling for consumers with the launch of its Hotspot@Home service in 2007. The offering allows users to switch between WiFi and the carrier's cellular network. Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) and Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) have each subsequently launched similar services via their respective femtocell offerings.

Last October, T-Mobile introduced WiFi Calling with MobileOffice, which allows users with T-Mobile BlackBerry devices to have the same number as their desk phone via WiFi. The service hooks into a PBX system, and also allows users to access the feature in other places where they can get onto a WiFi network.

T-Mobile announced in April that it logs 1.6 million WiFi calls per month.

For more:
- see this GigaOM post

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Update, Sept. 14: The headline for this article has been modified to more accurately represent T-Mobile's position on UMA for Android.