BT's Bluephone project, the much-touted fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) offering whose planned spring launch had been rumored to be experiencing delays, has officially resulted in a commercial service with a few days still left before summer begins. However, the company is launching that service, now named Fusion, to only 400 early adopters, with broader availability planned for this September.

The Fusion service uses a BT Hub, an access point enabled with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology that can be installed in a home. Customers with Bluetooth-enabled or Wi-Fi-enabled cellular handsets can roam between network environments with the help of the Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) standard, which allows the handset to use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to communicate with the hub, which itself is connected to a BT landline. So far, the service relies on a Bluetooth/cellular Motorola phone, but more Wi-Fi/cellular phones are expected to be available later this year and early next year.

Calls over broadband in the home mean that customers can make a mobile call but with the quality of a fixed-line and worry less about the signal being lost or dropping out, said Ian Livingston, CEO of BT Retail, in a statement. A recent survey of BT Broadband customers revealed that as many as 19% had experienced problems with mobile coverage in the home.