Vonage Dual WiFi / Cellular Service

Reports indicate that Vonage and partners are working on a new dual WiFi / cellular service. The new service would allow customers to switch automatically between cellular and WiFi modes according to reports.

Lou Holder, VP of product development at Vonage said that the development was a move towards replace the current cellphone with a dual-mode WiFi / cellular hybrid phone. Holder’s comments are not out of place either. Sales of dual-mode WiFi / cellular phones are expected to exceed $100 million in 2009. The idea is that the phone will allow customers to receive a VoIP call while in a WiFi covered area, then seamlessly switch to cellular mode when out of the WiFi network’ reach.

Phone manufacturers Nokia, Samsung and Motorola are already in the process of developing such a range of dual-mode phones. Vonage recently released a WiFi phone called the Vonage F10000 but it is not capable of joining cell networks.