Following Airtel’s launch of VoWiFi calling in December 2019, Jio has now started rolling out VoWiFi calling, as well.
Jio WiFi calling service was launched before an official announcement by the company made the rounds, according to various netizens that took to Twitter after noticing the new feature.
The service was launched in Delhi NCR and Chennai on the first day of rollouts. The rollout will span over 10 days with the service slowly becoming available in many more parts of India by 16 January 2020.
Jio’s VoWiFi will allow users to make voice and video calls using WiFi networks, alongside their normal mobile network, granted that they have access to WiFi at the moment. These calls won’t have additional charges, and will be billed as a normal call, i.e., the calls will essentially be free of cost. This, however, does not apply to international calls.
Jio provides fierce competition to Airtel’s VoWiFi service. While Airtel users can only make WiFi calls if they use Airtel’s fiber-based broadband service, XStream Fiber, Jio users can make a WiFi call on any type of WiFi network. Another competitive aspect of Jio’s service is the wider number of handset models it can be availed on. VoWiFi is currently not compatible with all smartphones. To use the service, one must have an updated handset that supports the feature. While Airtel’s VoWifi is available on 38 models, Jio’s WiFi calling is available on approximately 150 models.
Check the list of devices support WiFi Calling on Jio here.
How Jio WiFi Calling Works?
VoWiFi calling refers to voice and video over WiFi calls. Such calls use one’s WiFi network along with mobile reception and VoLTE to ensure a seamless calling experience.
These calls provide better reception and transmission, saves mobile data, and allows a user to make calls even if their cell phone reception is poor at any given moment.
This feature allows network providers to compete with over-the-top players like WhatsApp, Hike, WeChat, etc, who offer free voice calls and, in turn, hog telecom companies’ revenue.
Enabling VoWiFi calling on one’s phone
Enabling WiFi calling is quick and easy. The user simply needs to go to their mobile settings and search for WiFi calling and enable the option. A user must also enable voLTE enabled for the service to work. In some handsets, especially with dual SIM supported devices, the setting would be inside the SIM 1 or SIM 2 option.
During a call, a reception will switch between all 3 network modes without any disturbance or disruption.
Reliance Jio has been a force to be reckoned with ever since it was first launched in 2015. The service is available in all 29 states in India.
In September 2019, Jio subscriber base in India surpassed 350 million users, making it the second-largest single-country network operator in the world. During the same quarter, Jio’s voice traffic and data traffic tripled in comparison to 2 years ago.
The average monthly voice and data usage of consumers is estimated to be 789 minutes and 11.7 GB, respectively.
