Does anyone have or know about this deal? Even Orange don't seem very clued up. It allegedly combines landline, mobile and broadband, but nobody seems to have a clue how it works.
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Orange UNIQUE Package
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Deciphering what they have up at Orange, it's UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) service.
They put xDSL on your existing BT line, and give you a wireless access point with voice tunneling capability and a phone that's compatible with it.
When you are within range of your WiFi box, the UMA phone works in tunnel mode, using the DSL connection to make calls. When you wander away from your box's range, the phone reverts to use the conventional wireless network.
They put xDSL on your existing BT line, and give you a wireless access point with voice tunneling capability and a phone that's compatible with it.
When you are within range of your WiFi box, the UMA phone works in tunnel mode, using the DSL connection to make calls. When you wander away from your box's range, the phone reverts to use the conventional wireless network.
That I understand. What nobody has been able to answer is this: if my wife and I get home and four different people call simultaneously, two on the landline (allegedly it can handle three calls at once), and one on each of our two mobile numbers, what happens? Do we get all the calls at once, and how does each handset (you can have "up to six") differentiate and negotiate the connection?
They are billing this as a "one number" service, that is, one number per handset. I don't see that the conventional voice line, if you keep it, would interact with this system at all. Their installation instructions show that a normal aDSL filter is used at the wall, so the Orange box won't even see it. (actually, looking at their FAQ, Orange do acknowledge that this is what will happen.)
For the UMA handsets (if they are any good), call traffic should be flipped between the local WiFi box and the outside cell network transparently, just as if it was a jump between towers.
For the UMA handsets (if they are any good), call traffic should be flipped between the local WiFi box and the outside cell network transparently, just as if it was a jump between towers.
I'm waiting for a call back from "someone who knows" at Orange. I'll post their reply if and when it happens.
