EE (UK Carrier) launches Phone & Text over WiFi

[Master Disaster]

This happened in April but for some reason wasn't really advertised.

Basically if you've got no Signal on your mobile you can still receive your calls and texts as long as your phone is connected to WiFi. Let's be clear, this isn't Viber or WhatsApp we're talking about here, it means if someone calls your number the call with get connected over WiFi instead of GPRS, I'll get to LTE next.

It does currently have some limitations, it only works over 2G or 3G right now and if you lose WiFi signal during a call you'll be disconnected. Also it doesn't work when roaming.

They're developing a new protocol right now so on 4G (LTE) your calls will transition seamlessly from LTE to WiFi and vice versa, the new protocol will be called VoLTE (voice over LTE).

Currently the only place you can get this is the UK and one carrier.

Source - http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/wi-fi-calling-everything-you-need-to-know-1267445

This is awesome, really good for rural areas. This should become widely adopted very quickly I'd imagine.

[ImBleu]

This is the future.

[SIGSEGV]

Awesome!

[Master Disaster]

Just dawned on me, if you call out over WiFi do you still pay for the call?

[ZetZet]

Tele2 in Lithuania has that too, supposedly so that you could call for free when you go outside of the country.

[dom1310df]

I'll have to try this out. presumably this can be forced by enabling airplane mode and then turning wi-fi back on?

[jaggysnake57]

This is the future.

 

fuck me i loled...ive had this since september on o2 and it was out months before that on 3

 

[Blackler]

Same as Tu Go on o2, EE has gone Thermaltake on this right here.

[o0Martin]

I remember hearing about this ages ago, there was even advertisement in the form of posters/billboards if I remember right.  

Pretty sure some other carriers have even rolled out their own versions now. Think 3 have, and maybe others. 

 

Like @Blackler mentioned O2 have a version too.

[Murdoch]

Just dawned on me, if you call out over WiFi do you still pay for the call?

 

Vodafone have offered a service similar to this for a while in the UK. With a "wifi access point" supplied by them. And amazingly yes you still had to pay for the calls / texts. I would imagine EE would also charge for the calls / texts, or ya know remove the amount from your plan.

[Master Disaster]

Read the source article, this is not the same thing as O2, Vodafone etc.

All them services require an app to be running in order to receive calls and texts.

This is seamless and handled entirely by the network, your phone needs nothing installed on it and you can be connected to any WiFi, even public. The phone handles a WiFi call in the exact way a normal call is handled, no separate call list, phone book and text threads.

As I said, the service is only available on EE right now, any other network is not using VoLTE

Edit

Doesn't that already exist?

Before you all go 'this has been available for ages from the likes of Skype, Viber, Three, O2 and more recently WhatsApp', let us explain.

Three and O2 have their own applications allowing customers to make and receive calls and texts over a Wi-Fi network.

All your activity is kept separate, which can ruin message flows and confuse call logs, as you'll need to check two apps for potential missed calls and new texts.

A similar case is found with Skype, WhatsApp and Viber, although these services don't necessarily link directly with your phone number and provide more standalone communication platforms.

EE's Wi-Fi calling works exactly the same as the mobile network, meaning you may not even notice you're actually using a Wi-Fi network rather than the mobile one - although you do get an icon in the status bar alerting you to the fact.

That means your text conversations remain uninterrupted and your call log stays complete - without the need to switch to a different application when using a Wi-Fi network to connect to your friends.

[TwistedDictator]

This is so old lol. 3 has been doing to for a long time now, they even give a mini stick to connect to the router to boost connection for FREE!

[Master Disaster]

This is so old lol. 3 has been doing to for a long time now, they even give a mini stick to connect to the router to boost connection for FREE!

FFS no it isn't, read the OP source. Its brand new, launched in April 2015 and exclusive to EE.

[o0Martin]

FFS no it isn't, read the OP source. Its brand new, launched in April 2015 and exclusive to EE.

 

But it's June  :huh:

 

I do get it though aha I should have read the original source, basically a nicer version and more integrated then other networks, EE was great when I used it back home in London, but at my uni their signal is so shit, wish I had this when I had EE because we get free wifi all over campus  :wub:

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

Just dawned on me, if you call out over WiFi do you still pay for the call?

That would be interesting would phone carriers be out of business then, obviously you'd still need phone masts etc. But probably not as many. Along with all this talk of Wi-Fi everywhere could this be the start of the end of mobile infrastructure