Amended from EE Times Asia:

Mobile phone supplier Nokia and unlicensed mobile access technology supplier Kineto Wireless have announced an agreement to address the area of convergence between fixed and mobile networks and services.

Under the agreement, Nokia will incorporate Kineto's UMA network controller into its network convergence solutions for wireline and wireless operators. Both companies are engaged in UMA trials with major operators and will continue to collaborate on future network trials.

UMA, a 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Program) standard, is an access technology that allows a seamless handoff of mobile voice and data from a wide area cellular network to a wireless local area network (WLAN). UMA enables operators to deliver high-performance, low-cost mobile voice, data and IMS services to subscribers over the broadband Wi-Fi access networks -- increasing mobile service usage while decreasing costs for operators.

"With the rapid adoption of UMA as a 3GPP standard for cellular/Wi-Fi convergence, we are seeing tremendous demand for UMA products and services from operators," said Rick Gilbert, president and chief executive of Kineto, in a statement.

Previously, Nokia announced that Saunalahti, a leading Finnish operator, will be deploying a number of Nokia's convergence solutions, including UMA technology from Kineto, to offer services like VoIP and rich multimedia to both mobile and fixed telephony customers.