POST Luxembourg has announced that, ever keen to improve its customers’ voice experience, it is now the first operator to offer a combination of VoLTE and WiFi Calling - two functionalities designed to make mobile telephony easier and more convenient.
VoLTE, or Voice over Long Term Evolution, enables POST customers to make calls without additional charges directly via the 4G network - something that had previously only been possible using 2G or 3G. This technology notably helps to considerably reduce the time it takes to establish a call, and the user can also continue to surf the Internet and download and share content whilst making a call. The user will automatically be switched to the 2G or 3G network should they lose connection to the 4G network without interruption to their user experience. Other advantages include the fact that the technology greatly improves user comfort and makes it possible to make high-definition calls.
WiFI Calling is the solution used when there is a lack of mobile network coverage, in which case calls are made not via the mobile network but via the Wi-Fi network. This resolves the issue of modern buildings that are often well insulated, meaning that the signal inside is often rather poor. Where WiFi Calling is able to offer a better connection, this will be prioritised. Likewise, if the user has access to both VoLTE and WiFi Calling technologies, Wi-Fi calls will take priority, and the user will not even notice the switch between the two. This service is only valid from Luxembourg.
Neither technology requires the use of an app. Calls will generally be made from the user’s contact list and charged at the rate of a voice plan call, meaning that they will not eat into the user’s mobile data allowance. The user will need to have a compatible handset running on the latest system update and have activated the functionalities beforehand, since it is a technical requirement that VoLTE be activated in order to use WiFi Calling. Only the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones are currently compatible with VoLTE and WiFi Calling. Apple-branded smartphones are expected to be compatible as of the first quarter of 2018.
POST’s decision to combine the two technologies is part of its innovation strategy and in keeping with its efforts to implement the 5G network.
