- Fancy making calls using your phone's native dialler when the only connection your device has is Wi-Fi? This may not be new for those who have been using their data connection to make voice calls on third party VoIP applications, but quality and cost constraints and the necessity of installing and using a separate application has left many subscribers falling back to their cellular connection for voice calls. This will be changing in UK as EE, a leading service provider, introduces a new Wi-Fi calling capability where subscribers will have access to carrier grade service to make calls from their home, office, corporate or public Wi-Fi connections. Infact, subscribers dial through their usual phone pad without the need to install a new app and can send and receive messages the same way. EE's move is definitely an indication of the underlying strategy among service providers to make bigger inroads into the OTT services sphere as large chunks of their traditional voice income is eroded by third-party OTT voice and messaging applications. EE's new service offering is expected to be available in autumn this year on latest handsets capable of supporting the service. Meanwhile, HD Voice, a benefit of VoLTE, is already widely available on the EE network, with 3G coverage at greater than 98% and more than 5 million HD Voice-capable devices in use.
- In a statement released by EE, it said that it has been showing live 4G call services (VoLTE) in recent demonstrations at the EE Test Lab and will begin a trial later in 2014 using the 800MHz spectrum which can significantly increase the geographical coverage of its data and voice network. The trial will expand data and voice coverage, bringing service to a previously unconnected part of rural Oxfordshire. EE also added that a full commercial launch of the capability will follow in 2015, once a higher level of quality and an LTE coverage of more than 90% of population is achieved.
EE has also embarked on a host of initiatives to enhance its traditional voice service. The EE network which caters for more than 900 million calls a week is seeing continuous investment being made on its infrastructure amounting to 275 million in 2013, and another £275 million in 2014. In addition, EE said that it leverages its MyEE App to discover whitespots or 'no service area". The App is currently being used on more than half a million handsets. Further perfecting its service, EE aims to halve the dropped call rate (DCR) in 2014 and highlighted that a DCR rate of 0.4% is being consistently achieved in Derby across both 2G and 3G, where the integration and optimisation of the EE network is at its most advanced stage. Its other major initiative is the ‘Platinum Project’, which aims to create a ‘zero defect’ phone call experience for customers in the busiest parts of the UK with M25 Orbital, Canary Wharf and The Southbank being the trial areas.
“Our WiFi calling capability will let customers make calls where they have access to WiFi but not to the mobile network. The customer experience is seamless because it’s the same as making a network call and uses the normal call interface of the handset. This is a major part of our strategy to invest in giving customers the ability to make a call wherever they are, and we’re confident that this service can make a big difference to people in homes and large offices across the country, especially in the most rural areas, that don’t have mobile coverage. 4G calling, or VoLTE, is an exciting technology that we’re going to be trialling in the coming months using our low frequency spectrum, bringing one of the world’s best voice and data services to a part of rural Britain that has previously been unconnected. When we have rigorously tested the performance of 4G calling and made sure that it matches our 2G and 3G quality, we’ll launch it nationwide on our 4G network."
- Fotis Karonis, CTO, EE
