T-Mobile has announced during CES that it will cease offering its HotSpot @Home landline replacement service while continuing to support current users.
The discontinuation of the offering was not explained by the carrier, but usage patterns and preference for standard wireless service coupled with low adoption rates tell a tale of customer disinterest and the need to use specific phones with Wi-Fi radios on top of the additional monthly cost led to low adoption rates.
T-Mobile first introduced HotSpot @Home in 2007 as a way to improve indoor coverage and offer high-speed internet browsing before it launched 3G service in late 2008. T-Mobile has also emphasized that its decision to discontinue HotSpot @Home will not affect its Unlimited HotSpot service.
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T-Mobile missed the mark on this one. I am a long time T-Mobile user and I went in to get the HotSpot @ Home, but there was no way they would let me have it without signing a 24 month contract. I would have paid for the equip and paid more per month, but they wouldn’t do it.
Granted, I may not represent everyone, but I am one customer that wanted it and they lost me because they had to lock me into a contract. Oh well.
meh, all that was necessary is still alive I believe – UMA. H@H was just redundant with no added benefits IMO
The UMA plan codes are part of Hotspot @Home and are no longer available for new customers. You can continue to use unlocked/unbranded UMA phones if you already have an @Home system… though it’s unlikely you’ll see any of those supporting T-Mobile 3G frequencies any time soon.
Not even the Nokia N900 supports UMA.
It’s possible T-Mobile will offer a reduced cost do-it-yourself UMA setup since the technology is already in-place, but because of handsets drying up that support it, I suspect UMA is just dead on arrival. Unlimited plans killed the UMA star.