For a limited time, Cingular Wireless subscribers in Connecticut will be able to sign up to make unlimited calls to their AT&T (formerly SBC) home phone line for $5.99 per month.

The test program, dubbed Mobile2Home, comes as local phone operators face increasing competition from cable providers, and as mobile providers have to fight harder to win new mobile users and hold onto existing ones.

Mobile2Home will cost $5.99 a month and will be available only until Feb. 25 to Connecticut customers who combine their AT&T local phone bills with their Cingular phone bills.

One analyst predicted that the trial would be popular with consumers and force rivals to follow suit.

“I believe the customers will love it and it will drive the competitors to offer similar combinations,” independent telecommunications analyst Jeff Kagan said.

“This bonding of wireline and wireless calling will help AT&T with their retention of customers as the industry changes and new competitors like other Baby Bells and the cable television companies gear up to compete,” he added. — Reuters

Subscribers who sign up before Feb. 25 will be able to keep the feature after that date.

The feature is only available to postpaid customers with a newer GSM phone. (These phones contain a SIM card.) Older subscribers will need to replace their phone with a GSM phone before signing up.

The unlimited calling applies only to the AT&T phone number for which the billing is combined with the Cingular bill.

There are some additional restrictions you should know about before enrolling. Visit http://www.cingular.com/mobile2home for all the details or to sign up.