All four nationwide U.S. carriers now offer Wi-Fi calling, but not for all smartphones. AT&T Mobility, for example, only offers Wi-Fi calling on select versions of Apple’s iPhone. Verizon Wireless lists 13 devices on its website that support Wi-Fi calling.
Carriers can use authentication, authorization and accounting technology to make sure only approved devices use Wi-Fi calling through their networks. Recently, Aptilo Networks said it has been tapped by a tier-one North American operator to enable Wi-Fi calling and entitlement for both voice over LTE and voice over Wi-Fi. Aptilo provides AAA services to mobile operators, while other companies provide the core technologies for digital voice applications.
“Aptilo has been leading the pack in carrier Wi-Fi service management for more than a decade,” said analyst Claus Hetting, CEO of Wi-Fi Now International. “I’m not at all surprised to see Aptilo Networks continue to grow their base of carrier clients.”
The entitlement process ensures only the approved iPhone models can access voice over Wi-Fi. Aptilo said without this process, all SIM-enabled iOS devices would be allowed access to the carrier’s VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling services. The firm said the process also delivers end-user acceptance of terms and conditions, emergency address registration, and service activation for secondary devices associated with the subscriber’s mobile account.
On most devices, Wi-Fi calling does not work until the user enables the feature. It also does not work if the user calls a person who is not on a Wi-Fi or LTE network. Wi-Fi calls are typically free in the United States, but users will pay for international Wi-Fi calls.
Verizon Wireless customers need to activate high-definition voice on their phones in order to use Wi-Fi calling. Once HD voice is activated, features that are incompatible with HD voice will no longer work on the phone. These include ringback tones and slacker radio tones, features that many users are unlikely to miss.
Of course many mobile users take advantage of Wi-Fi calling without using services offered by the carries. Skype and Google Voice enable users to make voice calls over the internet, and Wi-Fi is often the user’s primary internet connection. But carriers do not want to leave Wi-Fi calling to the so-called “over-the-top” providers and so have been investing in the technology themselves.
“It’s great to see how Wi-Fi calling is driving carrier Wi-Fi deployments forward across the world,” said Hetting. “The indoor coverage improvement with Wi-Fi calling is huge, so I believe we will see Wi-Fi Calling available everywhere within just a couple of years.”
For more on Wi-Fi calling and voice-over-LTE, download our complimentary feature report from Senza Fili Consulting.
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