After Apple paraded the iPhone 6's ability to discretely move between Wi-Fi and cellular networks without breaking up phone calls, T-Mobile has rushed out of the gates and proclaimed its full devotion to supporting the feature immediately.
Verizon and AT&T have stated they don't plan to embrace Wi-Fi calling anytime soon, while Sprint started running before the race began.
T-Mobile, self-proclaimed "uncarrier" and "disruptor," is calling it's Wi-Fi calling program "Wi-Fi Unleashed." T-Mobile CEO John Legere says combining Wi-Fi with the company's "data strong" network is about doing everything in T-Mobile's power to solve consumer problems.
Each new smartphone T-Mobile offers will support Wi-Fi calling and customers using existing handsets who enroll in the company's Jump initiative can upgrade to plans and phones that support Wi-Fi calling.
"This is like adding millions of towers to our network in a single day," Legere said (PDF). "The difference between us and the traditional carriers is that they'll do everything they can to make more money off you."
Verizon, in contrast, is considering a mid-2015 launch of support for Wi-Fi calling, as there are some network adjustments that must be made first, according to Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo. But Shammo suggested Verizon customers may not care much about the support for Wi-Fi calling, due to the strength of the cell service provider's network.
"We built our voice platform so extensively [that] there was never a need for us to tell our customers, 'Oh, our network is not good enough so you need to go on Wi-Fi to complete your call,' " said Shammo.
Despite not quite having a network as robust as Verizon's network, AT&T has also indicated that it won't support Wi-Fi calling until sometime in 2015. While Wi-Fi calling was promoted by Apple as a supporting component to cellular networks, Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T's new Mobile and Business group, told consumers that AT&T doesn't view the feature as a replacement for its network.
"We're very focused on making sure it's a great experience for customers, but we see it as a complement, not a replacement," de la Vega said. "We feel good about a great nationwide network with unlimited talk and text."
Wi-Fi calling is the name for a technology that allows cellular packets from user's phones to be transferred to your carrier over the Internet, then injected back into the cellular network. It lets users use their actual carrier phone number over the Internet, instead of going through cell towers, and can improve call quality in otherwise low network areas. Users can use Wi-Fi calling to make calls outside their coverage area or when their carrier's network isn't available, and those calls don't count against a plan's minute allotment.
Meanwhile, Sprint has been playing with the Wi-Fi ball since Aug. 28 when it announced free Wi-Fi calling for all of its Wi-Fi-capable phones, promoting it as a way to support customers who were abroad and well away from the company's towers.
"As this international capability becomes available on more of our devices, Sprint customers won't have to think twice about calling home while on vacation or away on business," said Wayne Ward, vice president of business and product development for Sprint. "This is one more tool we are giving our customers to stay easily connected with those who matter most."
