Airtel Wi-Fi Calling service is already being used by one million users, the company has announced today. Right after the announcement of Jio Wi-Fi Calling, Airtel has sent out a press statement saying that its Wi-Fi Calling service is available across the country and more than 100 smartphones now offer the support. Last month, Airtel launched India's first VoWi-Fi service called 'Airtel Wi-Fi Calling' with support for 40 smartphones and only in limited circles. However, Jio Wi-Fi Calling is available on pan-India basis right at the launch and offers support on more than 150 smartphones. Airtel also says its Wi-Fi Calling service will now work on any broadband network as it was previously limited to just Airtel Xstream Fibre network.
Airtel Wi-Fi Calling Now Works on Any Broadband Network
According to Bharti Airtel, the Airtel Wi-Fi Calling has garnered more than one million users within less than three weeks of launch. The telco states this achievement is one of the fastest uptake of new network technology in India. Initially launched in just four circles, Bharti Airtel expanded the service across the country, competing with Jio Wi-Fi Calling. "Airtel Wi-Fi Calling is now available to Airtel mobile customers across India," confirmed Airtel in a press statement.
The telecom operator is also opening the service to other broadband operators. During the first phase of the launch, Airtel Wi-Fi Calling worked only via Airtel Broadband service, but now, the service can be accessed by Airtel mobile customers over the home or public Wi-Fi network.
For the unaware, VoWi-Fi service makes indoor voice calling better as the voice/video calls will be routed via the broadband operator. It uses Wi-Fi networks to create a dedicated channel for voice calls and allows customers to make telco-grade calls to any network. As we already know, there is no extra charge for making calls via Airtel Wi-Fi Calling.
Randeep Sekhon, CTO – Bharti Airtel said: “We are delighted with the extremely positive customer response for Airtel Wi-Fi Calling. The technology has truly transformed the indoor network quality for Airtel mobile customers, particularly in high population density areas in urban markets. Airtel is also the first to make the service LIVE across India and our customers can use the feature on any Wi-Fi.”
More Than 100 Smartphones Now Support Airtel Wi-Fi Calling
When the service went official, it was available on just 24 smartphones. Just a couple of days ago, we reported the smartphone compatibility list was increased to 40. And now, Airtel has confirmed that its Wi-Fi Calling service can be used on more than 100 smartphones. New smartphones from brands like itel, Infinix, Spice and Tecno now support Airtel Wi-Fi Calling. Xiaomi's Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi 7 series also offers the support, so even if you purchase the Redmi 7A at Rs 4,999, you will be able to make calls via VoWi-Fi service. Airtel says the Wi-Fi Calling service is now compatible on smartphones across 16 brands, but the website shows only eight brands for now.
Airtel customers can head over to airtel.in/wifi-calling to check whether their device has support for Airtel Wi-Fi Calling or not. If your device is on the supported devices list and still not displaying the Wi-Fi Calling option in Settings, you can check for a software update.