back to article EE springs Wi-Fi phone calls on not-spot sufferers, Tube riders

EE today said it will be the first UK mobile network to roll out full-blooded next-generation Wi-Fi calling. Subscribers will not need to install any special apps: their phones should be able to seamlessly and automatically send and receive text messages, and make and receive calls, via wireless networks when there is no …

  1. Chris Morrison

    "You won’t be able to use it abroad"

    "You won’t be able to use it abroad, and the minutes spent nattering away will come out of your monthly allowance"

    "Must protect our roaming income."

    1. Terry Barnes

      Re: "You won’t be able to use it abroad"

      ""Must protect our roaming income.""

      Isn't it more likely that whatever gateway and hand-off protocol has been setup between the networks won't work if the WiFi part is in another country? I can't see how you'd be able to hand off from WiFi and back onto cellular if you're roaming - the foreign network would have no idea what was going on.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pah

    even more competition for WiFi Channels

    A scan of the airwaves from where I am sitting now reveals

    19 different WiFi Networks. 4 VM, 8 BT and 9 others (where the owner has taken the trouble to change the SSID)

    Of these 15 of them are all competing for channel 6 as the default channel (mine is setup to use channel 2)

    Thankfully, none of the networks are open.

    1. Roland6 Silver badge

      Re: Pah

      Need to filter those results, my AP supports 3 SSID's on each of the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands...

      What I love is how many people simply plug in their AP and let it auto select channels. Me? I do a scan and then fix my AP on to specific channels. Now my neighbours are effectively sharing two of the four (EU) 2.4GHz non-overlapping channels, with constant channel swapping, whilst my AP generates a solid signal on my chosen channels...

      1. JaitcH
        Unhappy

        Re: Pah

        WiFi is sold as a 'Plug 'n Play' device - which is why so many units are open with default settings.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Pah

        "What I love is how many people simply plug in their AP and let it auto select channels."

        Fools! It's not as if the technology could and should sort itself out without having to have its hand held by a meat sack, eh? And that's before we come to the rubbish security defaults, and loophole-addled firmware.

        I suppose almost all aspects of Wifi are a bit like all aspects of USB connectors, most "smart TVs" and any multimedia browser add-on - classic bits of Friday afternoon engineering, let loose on an unsuspecting public because it was all too much effort to do the job properly.

  3. Only me!

    Phone on Wi-Fi....great, the signal is rubbish as soon I step in the front door.

    But on the tube, NO, NO and No again....fingers crossed Virgin will block it!!!!!

  4. A Non e-mouse Silver badge

    Cash cow

    You won’t be able to use it abroad..

    ..Because that would stop us making obscene profits form milking you dry.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Let's hope the crypto isn't half arsed otherwise it's a Sun journalist's wet dream; the spooks will already have the keys.

    1. Simon Rockman

      Spooks don't need keys. They have legal intercept.

  6. Wibble

    But will they pay for access?

    So EE will just use the WiFi network to make the call. But will they pay for using that bandwidth? Will they discount the call? Of course not.

    1. Terry Barnes

      Re: But will they pay for access?

      EE will still have to pay a termination fee to the called party's telco, so I'm not sure why it would be any cheaper. The WiFi is bypassing the portion of the call that they don't have to pay anyone for anyway.

      1. Wibble

        Re: But will they pay for access?

        So they can use the "free" WiFi and not bother installing/upgrading their base station.

  7. Jess

    Sounds great, but

    I bet it's geolocked just like UMA. (Bria works fine, of course)

    1. flokie

      I miss UMA

      I had a BB 9780 on Orange, and yes there was some geo-locking - but that only happened after 1 week outside the UK.

      I miss it on the Q10, which should now have wifi calling capabilities but obviously the carrier network needs to support them too.Will it work with VoLTE? Not sure, but then if BT buy out EE indeed, then there's definitely no way I will still be with them by the time they support it.

  8. TonyJ

    It will only work on EE branded phones, too

    Reading the anouncement on http://community.ee.co.uk/t5/EE-Community-Blog/Three-new-smartphones-to-launch-with-WiFi-Calling/ba-p/274506 it would appear that unless you not only buy a compatible handset, but buy it from EE, you won't get access to the service.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: It will only work on EE branded phones, too

      Thank you for bringing that to our attention. Bummer.

      Further speculation on that website suggests that because network operators aren't allowed to mess around with iOS, all iPhone 6s should work with EE's VOWIFI- though that might be optimistic, since EE have been known to lock iPhones to their network even though they have been bought elsewhere.

      "Dear EE. I have just moved home. I don't get an EE signal except on the widow sill of the upstairs bathroom. If you don't allow VOWIFI on my current hardware-compatible handset, I will have no option but to take my business to Vodaphone"

      1. chr0m4t1c

        Re: It will only work on EE branded phones, too

        As I understand it, MS and Apple have put the functionality into the firmware already (or it will be in the next release), but some Android devices haven't.

        EE are putting the functionality into their "branded" firmware they put on the locked handsets they sell.

        It's not clear if the functionality will work if you happen to own a handset that does have the functionality but which isn't EE branded, or if they would block it.

  9. R J Tysoe

    General topic of conversation in my brother's village at the weekend:

    "I've got no signal"

    "Neither have I"

    "Who are you with?"

    "EE"

    "Me to"

    ...

    "I just came round to tell you I've got no signal"

    ..

    "She's got no signal, you'll have to call her on the landline"

    "I can't, I've got no signal"

    1. dogged

      Short version (as most of us know) is that EE + Village == "No signal".

  10. This post has been deleted by its author

  11. Chozo
    Devil

    So... phones unable to latch onto a cell tower will instantly go looking for an any open WiFi hotspot,

    what could possibly go wrong...?

  12. Cuddles

    "Seamless?"

    Is that seamless as in it will switch between cell towers and wi-fi mid call, or seamless as in you don't have to launch an app because they've already installed it for you on your EE branded phone? Because as far as I can tell it's actually the latter, and the only thing to distinguish it from 3's identical service is that EE will hide the app that does the work.

    1. jonathanb Silver badge

      Re: "Seamless?"

      As I understand it, you use the normal phone app to make the call, rather than for example O2's ToGo app, but it doesn't hand-over between mobile and wifi networks, or even between different wifi access points on the same network, Same as Skype or any other VOIP service I've tried.

      1. Andrew Orlowski (Written by Reg staff)

        Re: "Seamless?"

        "As I understand it, you use the normal phone app to make the call, rather than for example O2's ToGo app, "

        Yes it uses IMS not an OTT craplet. Cuddles needs to RTFA.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    works really well

    I've been using the service for a few days on my sim-only contract on an unlocked iPhone. It works really well - so well in fact that you can put the phone in airplane mode at home, turn on wifi and forget about the "phone network" completely.

    The service is really useful in the many modern buildings that have poor internal coverage even if the network is good outside - the increasing use of lots of steel, glass with metal coatings and foil backed insulation all conspire to stopping good phone signals indoors.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like