Everything you need to know about Wi-Fi calling
Apple included loads of new features in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus but perhaps one of the most exciting hasn't really been shouted about.
The one I'm talking about is Wi-Fi calling, a very clever idea that will change the amount of time you spend out of signal. It's new to the iPhone but it's also available on the latest Android handsets as well.
Essentially, this feature lets your smartphone use a Wi-Fi signal to make and receive calls and send texts rather than your mobile network.
Best of all, if you're on a call using your Wi-Fi connection and you move out of range the smartphone will seamlessly switch your call to use your mobile network connection instead.
I spoke to EE, the first network operator to offer Wi-Fi calling in the UK, about whether its service will seamlessly switch between cellular and Wi-Fi networks.
An EE spokesperson informed me that at launch the service will not be able to handover seamlessly, however this will be enabled as part of 'phase two', which will launch in 2015.
What are the benefits?
There are a number of benefits to Wi-Fi calling, with the most obvious being if you get little or no mobile reception in your house. With your smartphone connected to the Wi-Fi network you won't need to worry about missing an important call.
Making calls over Wi-Fi could also mean you're not using up the minutes on your contract, so it may even save you money.
With the proliferation of Wi-Fi hotspots that can be found everywhere from cafés to public transport, there's a good chance that you could end up being connected to Wi-Fi networks more often than your mobile network.
Wi-Fi calling and Voice over IP
Making phone calls over the internet using a wireless connection isn't particularly new, with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services such as Skype becoming increasingly popular.
While VoIP lets you use Wi-Fi to make calls to mobile and landline numbers, there are a number of key differences between the two technologies.
For example, if you want to use Skype to make phone calls over Wi-Fi to mobile or landlines you'll need a Skype account and the Skype app installed on your device. You'll then need to buy Skpye credit to make those calls.
The beauty of Wi-Fi calling is that there are no extra apps, and no extra costs or subscriptions. Instead, it's all rolled into your contract and fully integrated with your smartphone's standard phone app. In practise making a Wi-Fi call should be no different to when you're making a normal phone call.
Another big difference between VoIP services and Wi-Fi calling is that VoIP calls can't automatically switch from Wi-Fi to mobile networks. So, if you're on a Skype call and you walk out of range of your Wi-Fi network, your call will be dropped.
How does it work?
Wi-Fi calling seems to be cropping up more regularly, no doubt thanks to Apple's high profile endorsement, but the technology has in fact been around for a while, usually known by the less glamorous moniker of Generic Access Network (or GAN for short).
This technology lets cell phone packets that are traditionally transmitted over the air using mobile data to use Wi-Fi networks to connect calls, rather than traditional cell towers.
Your call goes from your smartphone onto the internet via a Wi-Fi connection, which then gets passed onto the GAN Controller (the device that replaces the cellphone towers), which then passes the call onto the phone network.
I contacted the mobile networks to find out more about how Wi-Fi calling services would work. EE, the first to bring the feature to the iPhone 6, told me "Wi-Fi calling is not an app. And it's not a VoIP service as we know it today. Rather, it's a 'carrier grade' voice service – calls are secured and managed through our core network using IMS – IP Multimedia Subsystem."
"So you can make or receive a call just like you're on the mobile network, even when your only connection is Wi-Fi."
The IMS technology used by EE means that you won't need any additional hardware, just a modern smartphone and any Wi-Fi network.
What's the catch and what will you need?
What's the catch?
This might all sound too good to be true, but what if there's a catch?
By encouraging their customers to call over Wi-Fi as opposed to their network, are these mobile operators denying themselves income from traditional calls?
EE promised me that with the iPhone 6 calls and texts over Wi-Fi won't incur additional charges, and will instead come out of your monthly allowance depending on your contract.
This means that though Wi-Fi calls could potentially be free, on EE they will count against your allowance. The good news is that you shouldn't pay more on your contract.
EE also states that Wi-Fi calls that are not included in your monthly allowance will be charged at your standard rate. Whether or not these include premium numbers and international phone calls hasn't been revealed.
EE won't be supporting roaming, however, so you won't be able to use the Wi-Fi calling service when abroad. Whether other Wi-Fi calling services follow suit remains to be seen.
The benefits of Wi-Fi calling for network carriers could offset any potential losses, however. Wi-Fi calling gives customers access to the companies' networks where they usually wouldn't have a signal, and by charging for these calls, which their customers wouldn't have been able to make without Wi-Fi calling, network operators can profit from those calls.
This explains some network's enthusiasm for the technology, though it does mean that the potential for customers to save money and minutes on their contracts by calling via Wi-Fi won't materialise, at least for now.
What do I need?
There are two important things you'll need to take advantage of with Wi-Fi calling. The first thing you'll need is a contract with a network operator that offers Wi-Fi calling.
In the UK only EE is fully going to offer Wi-Fi calling, though at the time of writing its service hasn't gone live yet.
But what of the other networks? What plans do they have? I also contacted other networks about whether they have plans for Wi-Fi calling to join the iPhone (and wider Wi-Fi calling) game.
At the moment O2 doesn't have any plans to support native Wi-Fi calling, though it does have the TU Go app, which allows O2 customers to make calls over Wi-Fi.
While O2's solution shares some similarities with Wi-Fi calling, such as being able to make and receive calls and texts over Wi-Fi, when there is no signal (and for these calls to be taken out of your contract's allowance), there are also a number of differences.
The most obvious difference is that calls and texts made over Wi-Fi with O2 are done in a separate app. This means the experience isn't quite so seamless, with call logs and text messages made over Wi-Fi stored in the app, rather than integrated with the phone.
It also means that seamless switching from Wi-Fi to mobile network is not possible.
Three is also offering a form of Wi-Fi calling similar to O2 with its Three inTouch app. Three launched inTouch at the end of July, and is a downloadable app for iPhone and Android, which allows a customer make and receive calls and text messages using over Wi-Fi using their existing Three number.
According to Three, "Customers want to be connected, but in some locations there is little or no network. In these locations Wi-Fi calling has a key part to play in giving customers connectivity to keep in touch with friends and family".
However, like O2, this needs to be part of a separate app and you'll see all your messages sent over Wi-Fi irritatingly squirrelled away from your inbox.
I also contacted Vodafone about whether it has any plans to support Wi-Fi calling. I was told that Vodafone will be focusing on bringing Voice over LTE (VoLTE) to its customers instead, which uses the 4G network to carry voice calls as well as data.
The second important thing you'll need is a phone that supports Wi-Fi calling. The iPhone 6 is the big headliner when it comes to Wi-Fi calling, however T-Mobile in the US is promising that most new Android smartphones will be capable of Wi-Fi calling.
EE hasn't specified what smartphones will be able to use its Wi-Fi calling service apart from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. However, it does promise more information on Wi-Fi calling-capable handsets soon.
Wi-Fi calling: the verdict
Wi-Fi calling is a very exciting innovation with a lot of potential. It's early days for the technology at the moment, with a number of features, such as seamless transitions from cellular networks to Wi-Fi without dropping calls, not quite ready, though we're promised they will come soon.
At the moment only EE in the UK and T-Mobile in the US offer fully integrated Wi-Fi calling, with some networks offering similar, though not exact, Wi-Fi calling features.
There's no doubt that these networks will be watching how EE and T-Mobile fare with Wi-Fi calling. So too will consumers and if we like what we see, such as fair charges and dependable service, then Wi-Fi calling could really take off.
At the moment, however, the biggest benefit for consumers is if we are often in spots where there's no cellular network, but plenty of Wi-Fi.
2015 could be a make or break year for Wi-Fi calling, with promises that some of the most anticipated features will be made available. There's a lot of pressure on EE and T-Mobile as well, but if they succeed, then the future of Wi-Fi calling will be very exciting indeed.
from www.techradar.com
