Bharti Airtel launches Wi-Fi calling in Mumbai, Kolkata, Andhra, Karnataka, TN

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NEW DELHI:  Following its introduction in Delhi/NCR, Bharti AirtelNSE 1.29 %, on Monday commercially rolled-out its Voice Over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) service –‘Airtel Wi-Fi Calling’ in Mumbai, Kolkata, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

The VoWiFi technology allows users to make outgoing calls to any mobile phone number and landline by connecting to a public WiFi hotspot or any private home WiFi network. The service enables no cost calling across operators and minimal data usage using a handset which supports the technology.

Currently, the smartphones supporting ‘Airtel Wi-Fi Calling’are- all iPhone models starting 6s and above, Xiaomi Redmi K20, Redmi K20 Pro & POCO F1, Samsung J6, A10s, On6, S10, S10+, S10e, M20 and all OnePlus 7 and 6 series devices, the telco said in a press release.

VoWiFi will allow telcos to take on over-the-top players like WhatsApp and keep them from eating into their revenue, even as voice calling rates rise, say analysts.

“Airtel is working with all leading smartphone brands to roll out compatibility with ‘Airtel Wi-Fi Calling’. The service is currently compatible with Airtel Xstream Fiber home broadband and will soon be compatible with all broadband services and Wi-Fi hotspots,” the press release said.
 

[Scada]