BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited), a state-run Indian telecom operator, has been trying to upgrade its services to match private competitors. One of the key services that the telco is yet to launch is VoWi-Fi. The VoWi-Fi actually stands for Voice Over Wi-Fi calling or simply, Wi-Fi calling. It is supported by most devices which are launching in the market today. The VoWi-Fi service allows users to get a crystal clear voice calling experience evven when they are indoors (if they are connected to a good Wi-Fi network). Many operators face the issue of providing proper indoor voice calling experience.
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However, this is what is going to change with VoWi-Fi service, for BSNL users soon. Note that the private telcos including Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are already offering Wi-Fi calling service to the consumers.
BSNL Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Robert Jerard Ravi, in an interaction with ET Telecom said, "Live pilots for VoWi-Fi are ongoing in two zones, and performance has been strong in indoor and low-signal environments. Pending a final go-ahead, we’ll make the service available shortly to our customers."
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Telcos don't charge anything extra for VoWi-Fi from the customers. In fact, it is also on the customers whether they want to keep the service switched on for their device or not. Many connsumers, despite having access to Wi-Fi calling, don't really switch it on.
In the interaction, Ravi further said, "Even if a subscriber has a 4G SIM and no signal, they can still place calls over VoWi-Fi. The only requirement is to be a BSNL customer." With around 1 lakh 4G sites active now, it will be interesting to see what BSNL does in the near future.
