All About VoWiFi!

From feature phones to smartphones we have come a long way. While tangible technologies are evolving, we can actually see those changes before our eyes (E.g., year on year smartphone updates). However, there are some technological advancements which you never see, but whose experience can be transformative. VoWiFi is one such technological leap!

What is VoWiFi?

Have your calls ever gotten disconnected when you move from one room to another? Do you often experience voice breaking on calls if you stay in a high-rise building? Do you often check your network and internet before renting out or buying a new home? Do you have that ‘sweet spot’ to make calls at home or at the office? Not anymore!

Voice over WiFi uses a wireless broadband network for the purpose of voice calls. It is basically a subset of voice over IP (VoIP). It will use your own WiFi to make calls even when you are in a low-network zone.

VoWiFi is designed to simultaneously work with your mobile network to provide you with the best output from your call. Traditionally, it was designed to work as VoIP and instead of using your own network’s internet, it will use a WiFi connection.

Last week, Jio introduced this technology to complement their 4G mobile network. With VoLTE, calls are made using more efficient data packets, allowing transmission of more data, leading to clearer connections. These efficient data packets allow you to make HD calls. However, this is not perfect and like any other mobile network, it has a drawback of ‘call drops’, where there is limited network reach.

With VoWiFi, your call automatically and seamlessly switches between 4G and WiFi. It ensures that the transmission of the voice data packet does not get hampered allowing better consistency in call quality, no matter where you are!

Availability

Like every other technology, this one also comes with its own set of limitations. Yes, VoWiFi has some limitations, however, these are not hard to manage. What you need is a compatible device, and an active WiFi connection. Plus, a mobile network which is capable of supporting it.

Airtel and Jio are the only two networks available in the market which are VoWiFi enabled. A cursory glance at the two network operators’ website shows that Jio supports more handsets than Airtel, and it works all over India.

What are You Waiting For?

If you have a supported device, then, what are you waiting for? Just turn on the VoWiFi in your network settings and you are good to go! There is no code integration or a need to download an app. It just works.

Impact

At a macro level, the implementation of VoWiFi highlights another key aspect in the battle between telecom operators. Jio has long been fighting legacy operators, like Vodafone Idea and Airtel, who are still running on obsolete 2G and 3G networks. These networks are unduly benefiting from policies which were established years ago, after keeping in mind their higher cost price.

As a pure-play 4G network, Jio transmits call signals via data packets whose costs are negligible. The wide adoption of VoWiFi by all networks will signal that while they are ready to service this advanced technology, they need not levy IUC for maintaining their old, obsolete infrastructure. The sooner they are phased out, the better it will be for improving the overall standard of network services across the country.

Are you already using VoWiFi? Tell us about your experience in the comments. And stay updated with the latest from the world of technology by subscribing to DeCode.