InformationWeek's W. David Gardner reports that T-Mobile today launched its home-based Wi-Fi service HotSpot @Home, which switches subscribers seamlessly between cellular and Wi-Fi service for voice calls at a price of $19.99 a month ($9.99 to start). The company is offering two $50 phones for the service, the Nokia 6086 and the Samsung t409.

Plans for the nationwide service were announced last month.

"More people than ever are looking to drop their home landline phone and pocket the savings," says company CEO Robert Dotson. "However, they don't want to use all their wireless minutes talking from home. Our new service solves this dilemma."

"No surprise, though, that T-Mobile HotSpot @Home begins two days before AT&T launches its service for the Apple iPhone, which also features Wi-Fi," Gardner writes. "T-Mobile and AT&T (formerly Cingular) use the EDGE data network, which is slower than the CDMA EV-DO network used by competitors Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and Alltel. Wi-Fi, where it's available, enables T-Mobile and AT&T to offer high-speed data connections for their EDGE subscribers."

Me, I'll stick with EV-DO via Verizon.

More here from Reuters ... more here from InfoWorld ... and more here from TechNewsWorld.