Stir IP Telephony, Wi-Fi, WiMax and cell in a big pot and you get ...
The U.S.' first-ever metropolitan area carrier-class voice-over-Wi-Fi telephone service.
It's being deployed on the Rio Rancho network, which covers about 60 percent of 60,000-population (big surprise here) Rio Rancho, N.M.
The service, which costs $29.99 a month to consumers, is an IP-telephony based offering that utilizes 200 Wi-Fi access points. These access points are connected to a WiMax-type backbone that provides a backhaul to co-operator Azulstar Network's Network Operations Center and then, to the Internet.
What's more, roaming support for CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) cell phone networks will come on board later this year.
Would you subscribe to such a service if it was available in your area? TalkBack and let us know.