Rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T have revealed their plans to offer Wi-Fi calling services, but not until next year it seems.
Wi-Fi calling is already being offered by other carriers, namely Sprint and T-Mobile. The latter even highlighted the service during its Uncarrier event held last week. As for Verizon and AT&T -- well, it appears that they are a bit more patient when it comes to their Wi-Fi offerings.
As reported by Fierce Wireless, Verizon's nice and easy approach to Wi-Fi Calling may have something to do with the quality of the carrier's cell phone network. Verizon chief financial officer Fran Shammo had stated to the effect that there was never a need for Verizon to convince its customers that its network is not good enough that users have to resort to Wi-Fi means to make their calls.
That may be a slight dig at T-Mobile right there, but Verizon has always had a reputation as having one of the best cell networks in the US today. And by taking a slowly-but-surely approach, the carrier may just be ensuring that the quality of their Wi-Fi calling services can match that of its CDMA 3G coverage, as well as its upcoming Voice over LTE (VoLTE) service.
As for AT&T, like Verizon, it is focusing its attention to providing users a seamless transition between its own network and Wi-Fi calls. AT&T has been on record stating that it treats Wi-Fi calling as more of a complementary service, and the carrier does not view it as a replacement for the company's current technology. Verizon, on the other hand, is fine tuning its upcoming Wi-Fi calling service to make sure it is widely available for US users when it is launched next year.
Also, the recent release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus may have a hand in Verizon's and AT&T's plans of offering Wi-Fi calling services. Both new iPhone models are Wi-Fi-capable and the two carriers may be preparing their networks in case Wi-Fi calls take off.
T-Mobile has taken steps to include Wi-Fi calling in its Simple Choice plans, and so far is the only carrier that supports Wi-Fi calls on the iPhone. But other carriers are already starting to explore Wi-Fi calling's potential. As a matter of fact, Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Republic Wireless and Scratch Wireless have utilized Wi-Fi only calling and texting services for a while now, and even offer plans and phones for users who can do without 3G/LTE service.
How popular Wi-Fi calling will become in relation to the whole wireless service industry remains unclear for now. But by the next year, we might have a better idea whether customers will warm up to the idea.
Explore what plans and phones are being offered by Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint now.
