A device which increases the strength of mobile phone signals by routing calls through a home's broadband internet connection is now being sold by Vodafone.

The Access Gateway product will go on sale at the end of the month priced at £160, although a £5 monthly fee will also be levied.

While critics have claimed that the signal booster is an attempt by Vodafone to increase its coverage on the cheap, Ian Shepherd, consumer director of Vodafone UK, believes the device offers an ideal solution to homeowners in rural areas.

"The Vodafone Access Gateway will boost indoor mobile phone coverage for customers who today find they need to move around the rooms in their home to get a consistent signal strength," he confirmed.

Roughly the same size as an ordinary router, the product is compatible with any handset which uses a 3G mobile network and works via a connection with a domestic broadband line.

According to ispreview.co.uk, the router could also be of benefit to mobile broadband USB modem-users.