Vodafone is now the second operator in the UK to announce native Wi-Fi calling. The service is set to be rolled out to customers over the next few months. The company revealed that Wi-Fi calling was just the first of several exciting developments for “future voice services” that were about to be undertaken. The VoLTE service is expected to be launched very soon, but as yet there has been no firm date set.
The Wi-Fi calling service will be entirely free of charge and available to customers of the company that have a handset that is compatible. Talking about the development, Cindy Rose, who is the UK Consumer Director at Vodafone, said: “Our Wi-Fi calling service allows customers to talk to loved ones, friends and colleagues for longer and in many more places. It is easy to use and doesn’t cost a penny more.
“It works wherever a customer is connected to Wi-Fi, in a café, at home or the office, and automatically connects just like a normal call when a mobile signal is weak or non-existent. Vodafone Wi-Fi Calling is one of a series of future voice services we are launching for our customers over the next few months.”
The fact that companies are moving into this area of communications is an indication of how lucrative and essential to business and private users it is. A number of companies are testing VoLTE services for launch later on in the year, and Vodafone will be among them.
Last month, the company was a winner in Qualcomm’s L-band spectrum sell-off. It is continuing in its commitment to deliver solutions for both the business and the private sector. One major development has been in Unified Communications, with the introduction of Vodafone One Net.