UMA, or Unlicensed Mobile Access has been a service provided by various GSM carriers as T-Mobile USA with T-Mobile Hotspot @Home and Cincinnati Bell Wireless. UMA allows for a person who owns a GSM phone with wifi enabled to use a wifi signal as the default connection to make outbound calls or texts or to receive calls or texts when a regular GSM cellphone signal is not available. It is similar to VOIP, but for cellular phones and allows for the person using the phone to keep use their regular cellphone number while on a wifi network. UMA also saves the wireless carrier money in rural areas because the carrier may not have a tower located in a community and a tower may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, UMA allows for a cheap alternative to be used to use the same services as if a tower was located in the community.

Rogers Wireless added a link on their site titled “Register for UMA service” when changing services for a mobile phone.  Currently if a person clicks on the link, it will only direct to a page that does not exist. Rogers is believed to be introducing UMA service sometime in the near future, but there is no estimated time when Rogers will release it or how much it will cost per month for the service.  Rogers currently has gaps in service across the country, including areas within a short drive of large communities. The UMA service, when released, will allow for people to make calls when outside the calling area, provided that the customer has a high speed internet connection and a wifi router.

Rogers is also a participant on the list of UMA Technology companies, which also include British Telecom, T-Mobile, Nokia and Samsung.

Rogers has already taken down the link, but some are saying it will be launched sometime in the Spring.. either way that’s too far from now.