T-Mobile won’t be the only carrier with Wi-Fi calling, AT&T is committing to bringing it to their customers as well. It just won’t become a reality until sometime in 2015. Ralph De La Vega, president and CEO of AT&T’s new Mobile and Business Solutions group made mention of it today at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference. Mr. De La Vega was certainly targeting T-Mobile with his comments on the matter.
“We’re very focused on making sure it’s a great experience for customers, but we see it as a complement, not a replacement,” he said. “We feel good about a great nationwide network with unlimited talk and text.”
AT&T hasn’t yet launched their Voice over LTE service and that is going to be a critical component to have in place prior to any thoughts of launching a Wi-Fi calling experience. They want to ensure that the cell handoff from their network to your Wi-Fi is seamless without dropping your call. Which I can respect. However, attempting to leverage the technology as a way for carriers with a smaller coverage footprint to boost coverage is a bit over the top.
“We don’t have a burning desire or need for coverage. Other operators with less coverage may pursue it more aggressively.”
I doubt this topic would have come up at all if T-Mobile hadn’t made their announcement along with Apple announcing support for Wi-Fi calling being built into iOS 8. It isn’t about other carriers with less coverage, it is about giving customers coverage where a carrier just can’t, like in your man cave in the basement. Everyone I know has that one room or spot in their home that drops calls or gives no signal, even in the deepest of coverage areas. Wi-Fi calling is all about helping customers stay connected. It seems that De La Vega is missing that aspect and down playing the need for the extra coverage.
What are your thoughts? Do you have that one lack of coverage spot at home or work that just kills you? Are you jumping to T-Mobile specifically for Wi-Fi calling, or have you just stuck it out with Google Voice or other voip apps?
Source: CNET | Liliputing | Light Reading
