We're going to have to wait for details on this before we all start jumping to conclusions. It could be UMA, in which case practically every carrier already has it.
the only 2 carriers that currently offer wifi calling are Sprint and T-Mobile. As long as you turn it on and can connect to wifi, simply make or receive a call from any platform or carrier normally. If you get a good wifi signal you will have amazing voice quality on the call. A weak or slow wifi signal then not so great. This is great for many indoor situations where you may not get a strong cell signal.
When you turn wifi calling on for the first time you get a new PRL installed on your phone. That's it.
WiFi calling is going to be a real game changer in the MDU/ MTU industry. In discussions revolving around the impact of WiFi calling, the iOS 8 announcement and subsequent T-Mobile announcement to support WiFi calling, the MDU/ MTU industry gets left out of the discussion. The fact is the biggest problem facing building owners and managers today is the problem of poor indoor cellular coverage. These building owners represent a large segment of the U.S. population %u2013 120 million people. The carriers are focused completely on geographic coverage, not improving the poor coverage that exists inside large buildings.
Building owners are left with a few options: 1) spend a lot of money to install a cellular booster system or DAS system in their building 2) ignore the problem and lose residents and tenants 3) deploy a secure, managed WiFi network property-wide so that callers can use their devices and available WiFi calling apps to have indoor coverage. The problem with the third option is that seamless WiFi calling, while available from T-Mobile on a few select devices and via downloadable apps like Skype, has not yet seen the device/ carrier support it needs to become commonplace. We are thrilled that more devices are being built with seamless WiFi calling and now, with the iOS 8 update, we are hoping that market demand will force the major carriers (i.e. Verizon and AT&T) to allow for WiFi calling on the iPhone and Android. Obviously the reason we see the iPhone update as being such a big deal is that a) Apple typically dictates the market and b) it is hard to imagine the dedicated Apple crowd walking around with a device that does not allow for use of all features.
Support for WiFi calling from all major carriers including Verizon and AT&T will allow millions of Americans who currently do not receive adequate cellular coverage access to calling that would allow them to truly rely on their smartphone as their primary method of communication. The major carriers need to support this feature.
Comments
We're going to have to wait for details on this before we all start jumping to conclusions. It could be UMA, in which case practically every carrier already has it.
the only 2 carriers that currently offer wifi calling are Sprint and T-Mobile. As long as you turn it on and can connect to wifi, simply make or receive a call from any platform or carrier normally. If you get a good wifi signal you will have amazing voice quality on the call. A weak or slow wifi signal then not so great. This is great for many indoor situations where you may not get a strong cell signal.
When you turn wifi calling on for the first time you get a new PRL installed on your phone. That's it.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Wi-Fi-calling-included-in-iOS-8_id56799
Here is an FAQ
http://support.sprint.com/support/article/FAQs_about_WiFi_Calling_on_your_Samsung_Galaxy_S_4_mini/WFAQ_542_GKB68117-Trend?INTNAV=SU:DP:OV:TSIS:SamsungGalaxyS4Mini:FaqsAboutWifiCallingOnYourSamsungGalaxyS4Mini
These slides show the activation of wifi calling for the first time
http://support.sprint.com/support/tutorial/Activate_WiFi_calling/50394-1828
O2 offer it in England.
Will it work with the 4s?
T0Mobile only mentions iPhone (no specific model) and iOS 8 so t would seem so.
-> http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/issues-insights-blog/welcome-to-wi-fi-calling.htm
Building owners are left with a few options: 1) spend a lot of money to install a cellular booster system or DAS system in their building 2) ignore the problem and lose residents and tenants 3) deploy a secure, managed WiFi network property-wide so that callers can use their devices and available WiFi calling apps to have indoor coverage. The problem with the third option is that seamless WiFi calling, while available from T-Mobile on a few select devices and via downloadable apps like Skype, has not yet seen the device/ carrier support it needs to become commonplace. We are thrilled that more devices are being built with seamless WiFi calling and now, with the iOS 8 update, we are hoping that market demand will force the major carriers (i.e. Verizon and AT&T) to allow for WiFi calling on the iPhone and Android. Obviously the reason we see the iPhone update as being such a big deal is that a) Apple typically dictates the market and b) it is hard to imagine the dedicated Apple crowd walking around with a device that does not allow for use of all features.
Support for WiFi calling from all major carriers including Verizon and AT&T will allow millions of Americans who currently do not receive adequate cellular coverage access to calling that would allow them to truly rely on their smartphone as their primary method of communication. The major carriers need to support this feature.
--Spot On Networks http://www.spotonnetworks.com
Jessica DaSilva
Director of Marketing %u2013 Spot On Networks
o: 203-523-5231
m: 203-731-7897
@spotonwifi
www.spotonnetworks.com