Nokia To Build Cell-Wi-Fi Convergence Into Infrastructure

Nokia said Thursday that it will build technology that converges cellular and Wi-Fi access into infrastructure equipment that it sells to both cellular and wireline operators.

Specifically, Nokia said it will incorporate Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology into convergence products that it sells to telecommunications operators. The UMA technology was developed by Kineto Wireless.

UMA works with GSM-based cellular networks and switches between the two types of networks. That would enable, for instance, a user on a phone call over a cellular network to switch seamlessly to a voice-over-IP network transmitted over a WLAN.

Most GSM infrastructure vendors have also committed to making UMA available to their operator customers.