Vonage collaborates with UTStarcom Inc. to make portable Wi-Fi handsets

Vonage is currently the market leaders in VoIP segment in the United States. And the latest news from the company is that they are collaborating with telecommunications equipment designer UTStarcom Inc. The collaboration would see the two companies developing portable Wi-Fi handsets.

UTStarcom has worked with Vonage in the past and also developed their latest product for the market, the F1000. The device looks similar to a traditional cell phone and offers consumers easy access to Vonage’s VoIP phone service from any open-access Wi-Fi hotspot. Louis Holder, executive vice president of product development at Vonage said in a statement: “We’ve been talking to UTStarcom about many different products—lately we’ve been brainstorming about mobile phones.”

Wimax on Mobile Phones have become a hot word for the technology giants throughout America, as they look towards the future of mobile phone communication systems. The device makes use of the 802.11b wireless network protocol and would allow the users to make calls at relatively inexpensive prices using internet as its backbone.

Vonage already has fixed line plans for their consumers in the States where they offer a range of calling plans, which start at $14.99 for 500 minutes of talk time. The company also said that they do not see these phones replacing regular mobile phones anytime soon but aims to make the technology accessible and cheaper for the end consumer.