All about Wi-Fi Calling.

What is Wi-Fi calling?

Wi-Fi calling is nothing new; apps like Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp make it easier to use a phone to place calls and send texts over the internet and forgo mobile networks altogether. Carriers are also adopting Wi-Fi calling themselves. Whether it's because they want to bolster their network coverage or improve user experience, several networks have phones that have this service baked in.

Most of us spend time in at least a few places where our phones just don’t work, whether it’s a room or two at home, a favorite basement coffee shop or some other signal-blocked location. That’s where Wi-Fi calling can save the day. Instead of relying on the cellular phone network, Wi-Fi calling and texting uses an available Wi-Fi network to place your call over the Internet.
Clearly, if you don’t have a cellular signal or it’s spotty, the ability to make Wi-Fi calls comes in handy. But that isn’t the only reason you’ll want to use Wi-Fi calling.

How to make a Wi-Fi call?

Wi-Fi calling isn’t automatically enabled on smartphones. To turn yours on, go to the Settings menu. On iPhones go to Settings > Phone and then toggle on Wi-Fi calling. On Android, you’ll generally find Wi-Fi settings under Settings > Networks > Call, where you can then toggle on Wi-Fi calling.
Once you activate Wi-Fi calling, you dial or text as usual. The routing of your call or text is handled automatically in the background.

Limitations:

A word of warning here, if you start a call on Wi-Fi and then venture outside of your network's range the call won't automatically transfer to your mobile network - you'll get cut off, and vice versa.

EE says it's working on a seamless transition between mobile and Wi-Fi, but it will only be possible when it launches VoLTE (voice over LTE) later this year.

VoLTE allows 4G networks to carry voice calls and text messages, which are currently limited to the existing 2G and 3G services - and they don't work well with the Wi-Fi calling setup.

Which networks support it?

Both EE and Vodafone have launched Wi-Fi calling on the respective networks - Vodafone isn't fully here yet but it's coming soon.

O2 and Three may follow suit, but they're currently pushing their TU Go and InTouch apps, which offer similar functionality with seperate applications.

An O2 spokesperson told us, "We regularly review our products and services based on customer feedback. In the meantime, we're flattered to see others following our lead on wifi calling."

Meanwhile there's light at the end of the tunnel at Three with Danny Dixon, director of customer strategy, telling us; "Seamless connectivity on mobile and Wi-Fi is a key part of our future strategic direction and we've developed Three inTouch in such a way that we can evolve it to support embedded voice and text over Wi-Fi.

"We are currently developing this aspect and will be confirming more details and launch dates soon."

Share on Google Plus

About hXE - MEDI