Airtel on Monday announced it is extending its ‘Wi-Fi Calling’ service to Mumbai, Kolkata, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) service had launched earlier this month in Delhi-NCR circle.
The latest announcement comes shortly after Airtel whitelisted six new handsets to support its Wi-Fi calling service. Airtel customers on Samsung S10, S10+, S10e, M20 and OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T can now use the service. So far, Airtel Wi-Fi Calling is compatible with select Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus phones.
Airtel Wi-Fi Calling allows users to make voice calls over a Wi-Fi network. The service, however, is currently restricted to its own Xstream Fiber broadband service. While Airtel has plans to extend Wi-Fi Calling to more broadband service, Reliance Jio has also reportedly begun testing its VoWi-Fi service in India. Jio, however, hasn’t formally announced the launch of the service.
For now, Airtel customers with compatible handsets can get started with Wi-Fi calling through following steps.
Step 1: Users need to upgrade device operating software to the latest version.
Step 2: Open Settings on your handset and enable Wi-Fi Calling.
Step 3: Ensure VoLTE is enabled on your handset.
Note that Airtel’s Wi-Fi Calling service is available for free. According to Airtel’s FAQs section, 5 minute of Wi-Fi calling costs less than 5MB of data. Users can use Wi-Fi Calling service to make local and STD calls. The service cannot be used for making an international call or roaming call in a foreign country.
“Calls made using Airtel’s WiFi Calling Services to any other network or number not having Wi-Fi Calling Services would be possible and will be charged for at the existing prices/ plans as applicable to other networks for the duration of the call,” according to Airtel.
