"BT is to take on leading mobile phone operators such as Vodafone and O2 by enabling customers to make free calls on their mobiles," reckons The Business Online.
"BT is expected to announce details of the service before Christmas and it will available early next year. The calls will be free, but there will be a flat charge to use the network."
The basic idea is that smartphones with built-in Wi-Fi will be able to make voice calls from BT's Openzone hotspots plus, says the article, "a patchwork of new WiMax networks". But BT won't be the first to do this:
This week, telecoms company OpenAir launches Avantimobile, a Skype-style service that allows smartphone users to make free calls from Wi-Fi hotspots in pubs, cafes and hotels. Samsung and Motorola are also to launch WiMax mobiles in the new year that will enable users to make free internet mobile calls when walking down the street in the way they now use the mobile operators' high-tariff mobile networks.
