Pan European mobile operator TeliaSonera claimed to launch the world’s first Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) service Monday.

The Home Free service, which launched in Denmark, uses UMA technology, enabling a mobile phone to function as an IP phone at home through a wi-fi network, in much the same way that British Telecom’s Fusion service will operate when it introduces wi-fi handsets.

The same handset then acts as a cellular phone when outside of the home with one of the benefits of UMA being that you can handover calls from wi-fi to cellular and vice versa. Another benefit, Jesper Brockner, president of Telia Denmark points out is the fact the customer gets a simple voice service with only one phone, one number, one address book and one bill.