What's networks allow WiFi calling?

Bill Ponderosa

Which networks allow it and is it both bill pay as prepaid?

sundodger5

Bill Ponderosa wrote: »

Which networks allow it and is it both bill pay as prepaid?

Well if it is wi-fi it has nothing to do with the network.
Do you mean using data?

DopeTech

Bill Ponderosa wrote: »

Which networks allow it and is it both bill pay as prepaid?

Eir and vodafone.

FileNotFound

I have it with eir on a bill pay contract.
I have eir broadband and their monthly bill pay package.
Works well as my house is a black hole for reception.


Yet to need their customer service thankfully haha.

FileNotFound

sundodger5 wrote: »

Well if it is wi-fi it has nothing to do with the network.
Do you mean using data?

No its calling via mobile through your modem. totally different to data calls

Bill Ponderosa

sundodger5 wrote: »

Well if it is wi-fi it has nothing to do with the network.
Do you mean using data?

My house is a blackspot because of the insulation in the house as its new so I need WIFI calling to get a signal. It seams only a few operators provide it.

NeuralNetwork

I have it on Eir on an iPhone and can’t fault it. I’ve a reception issue in the house due to foil in the insulation in the walls and a lot of stonework.

I’ve a mesh network in the house using FritzBox plugs & a higher end router supplied by Digiweb. WiFi calling works absolutely seamlessly.

Also Eir now have VoLTE, so if there’s a 4G signal you’ll be able to handoff between WiFi calling & 4G calling.

The only difference you’ll notice is the calls connect instantly, compared to the couple of seconds of setup time on circuit switched voice in 3G or 2G and the voice quality is excellent.

Also in the house it seems to have a big impact on improving battery life as it’s only using local WiFi.

As for customer care, haven’t had to call them except to port & they were actually fairly easy to deal with. They’ve possibly been genuinely improving things.

FileNotFound

Bill Ponderosa wrote: »

My house is a blackspot because of the insulation in the house as its new so I need WIFI calling to get a signal. It seams only a few operators provide it.

The exact reason I have eir mobile and BB - deal is up soon so if vodafone have it and a deal i'll change to them for 12 months.

Works really well, I had the exact same issue (Internal foil backed insulation did me in)

babelfish1990

Bill Ponderosa wrote: »

Which networks allow it and is it both bill pay as prepaid?

Eir is the only network to fully support WiFi calling, including texts and use while roaming. While texts may not seem important, they are still used by many banks etc for two factor authentication. Vodafone don't support texts over WiFi, and they block WiFi calling when roaming. WiFi calling abroad saves a fortune particularly outside of EU, where roaming charges are still high.

No complaints with Eir WiFi Calling. Just make sure your handset supports it. iPhone supports it out-of-the-box, but Android needs the Carrier configs in the firmware. This means you have to pick a handset model that is supported by your operator, and if not bought from your operator you will need to get it flashed with their firmware build. WiFi Calling needs good WiFi - so I would recommend you use a Mesh system unless your house is small enough to be totally covered by your router. It's great to be in full control of your own mobile coverage particularly if you have an A-rated energy efficient home.

babelfish1990

FileNotFound wrote: »

The exact reason I have eir mobile and BB - deal is up soon so if vodafone have it and a deal i'll change to them for 12 months.

Works really well, I had the exact same issue (Internal foil backed insulation did me in)

I call Eir each year when my contact is due for renewal. Each year, they have renewed Sim-only mobile at the same price of 9.99 per month. However, you have to make the call - you won't get this price if you just let your contract roll over, or renew online. They also give me a reduction on the Broadband/TV contract when I renew, although unlike the mobile discount, it is not quite as good as the discount given to new customers.

Bill Ponderosa

FileNotFound wrote: »

The exact reason I have eir mobile and BB - deal is up soon so if vodafone have it and a deal i'll change to them for 12 months.

Works really well, I had the exact same issue (Internal foil backed insulation did me in)

It doesn't matter who your broadband is with.

FileNotFound

Bill Ponderosa wrote: »

It doesn't matter who your broadband is with.

Thanks. So a pay monthly with eir will allow me to have it even with virgin bb. Great to hear.

Mantis Toboggan

DopeTech wrote: »

Eir and vodafone.

Do both of these allow WiFi calling on both bill and prepay?

babelfish1990

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

Do both of these allow WiFi calling on both bill and prepay?

I haven't used Eir WiFi calling on prepay - so I am not sure. Vodafone definitely don't allow it on prepay. I know that when they launched a few years ago, Eir only allowed it on bill-pay - but this may have changed. Probably best to ask them.

I can't see why anyone would bother with prepay these days. The Eir SIM-only plans are better value, and fully-featured. €9.99pm for unlimited voice, text, and 120GB data, if you can bundle with Broadband. €14.99 for same plan standalone outside of a bundle. These are much better value than prepay. The contract commitment is only 30 days - so you are no more committed than buying a monthly prepay plan. Perhaps some people prefer prepay to avoid possible out-of-bundle charges like Premium Rate, or International, but there are barring solutions for these services, if you want to eliminate that risk.

NeuralNetwork

The main difference is Eir is offering fully functional WiFi calling while Vodafone uses geolocking so you can’t avoid roaming charges.

When travel reopens, if you’re going outside the EU that’s actually a huge advantage as you can make a call from hotel wifi or whatever for free, as if you’re in Ireland.

Mantis Toboggan

WiFi calling on EIR is both bill and sim only, think Vodafone is just bill pay only.

NeuralNetwork

Bear in mind that wifi calling is *not* on GoMo at present. Only the Eir main brand.

Their SIM only pricing is still very competitive though.

I can’t really see how Vodafone justifies the high prices, caps and data throttles though. They’re not even in the same ball park as eir or 3 on pricing and their cheap offers are all throttled.

biebiebie

I've read that GoMo are introducing both 4G calling and WiFi calling.

New customers will be first on their increased price €14.99 plan.

Will also roll out to existing customers by the end of the summer.

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2021/0409/1208742-gomo-ups-price-for-new-customers/

NeuralNetwork

It doesn’t make any sense for Eir not to implement those on GoMo. They’re a feature of having a modern IMS based voice network and actually save them a lot of hassle with maintaining access to legacy circuit switched voice.

You’re looking at the transition to all IP networks basically.

I’m not sure what 3 are up to. They were supposed to have completed a huge upgrade but I haven’t seen the fruits of it for services like this.

Red Silurian

I'm guessing the new 14.99 a month plan with wifi calling has to do with brexit as since the 1st of January you're charged extra for roaming there

Ten Pin

AFAIK, there was no change from Gomo after Brexit, unless wholesale rates increased but consumers can roam in UK in the same way as before January 2021...
https://twitter.com/gomoireland/status/1377547071285301255

Mantis Toboggan

Red Silurian wrote: »

I'm guessing the new 14.99 a month plan with wifi calling has to do with brexit as since the 1st of January you're charged extra for roaming there

What's this about?

babelfish1990

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

What's this about?

I disagree that the WiFi calling plan has anything to do with Brexit. GoMo have confirmed that UK roaming rates are unchanged despite Brexit. Although UK roaming is no longer subject to EU regulation and the operators are free to re-introduce roaming tariffs, they appear to be holding off so far. There are no indications that this is going to change, although Vodafone published their results yesterday - they were bad - and they were moaning about reduced roaming revenue. If operators do re-introduce UK roaming at some stage in the future, WiFi calling will be a useful workaround in UK - as it is at the moment in countries outside EU. However, Eir/GoMo are the only operator to allow users to use WiFi calling abroad - Vodafone block it.

In my view, the €14.99 tariff is primarily intended to lock in the quarter of a million customers that GoMo captured at their lower "for life" tariffs. They will be less likely to move, because those lower tariffs are no longer available to new customers. GoMo have also established themselves as the leader in the budget brands, since they don't throttle all users heavily like Vodafone, and they don't have an overloaded network like Three. GoMo have also kept their promise that existing users get to keep their "for life" tariffs, when price increases hit new users, and they can probably continue to attract new customers at the slightly higher price.