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Verizon To Introduce Wi-Fi Calling By Mid 2015

Ever since Apple Inc. (AAPL) announced its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus support Wi-Fi calls, the wireless industry has been abuzz with carriers announcing to launch their own Wi-Fi services. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is the last to join the Wi-Fi bandwagon, after CFO Fran Shammo announced the company will offer the service by mid-2015.

T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) is the only wireless carrier at the moment that has Wi-Fi calling services, which are compatible with Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 8. Sprint Corp. (S) offers the service as well, to a few Android devices, but it is not compatible with iOS 8.

Last week, AT&T Inc. (T) also announced to offer Wi-Fi calling by mid-2015, leaving Verizon as the last carrier to adopt the service. However, Ralph de la Vega, CEO for AT&T's Mobile and Business Solutions unit said the service will only be used to complement its existing VoLTE or 3G-based calling.

Addressing a group at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2014 Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference, Shammo said Verizon will need to upgrade its "technological network" to make the service available. However, he added that Wi-Fi calling was "never a top priority" for the number one wireless carrier. According to him, when a call is routed to a Wi-Fi network, it is difficult for the carrier to guarantee its quality.

Bragging about Verizon’s vast network, he stated: “We built our voice platform so extensively, 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’.”

Shammo was hinting at T-Mobile, which recently launched a Wi-Fi router to fill the gaps in its network coverage. Unlike AT&T and Verizon, which control a majority of the airwaves in the country, T-Mobile’s limited spectrum holdings leave gaps in its network coverage, resulting in dropped calls.

Verizon has built its brand reputation on the quality of its calls. Also, its network was rated the best among the four major wireless carriers in the US, by RootMetrics last month.



Source: Last week, AT&T Inc. (T) also announced to offer Wi-Fi calling by mid-2015, leaving Verizon as the last carrier to adopt the service. However, Ralph de la Vega, CEO for AT&T's Mobile and Business Solutions unit said the service will only

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