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Verizon users get Wi-Fi calling
Over the next week, Verizon is rolling out Wi-Fi calling for subscribers who use the Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge. After this initial release, Verizon says they’re looking to expand the service to more devices going forward into 2016.
Verizon is the last of the major US carriers to implement this functionality, in part because they held off on moving forward until they had filed a waiver with the FCC and been granted approval. T-Mobile and Sprint caused some waves when they started giving their users Wi-Fi calling without so much as running it past the FCC. AT&T called them out on it and publicly filed for a waiver like a good teacher’s pet. During all this, Verizon sat quietly in the back of the classroom to see how it all shook out. When AT&T’s waiver was approved, Verizon filed for an identical claim, mumbling under their breath that this whole kerfuffle was unnecessary, but that they were submitting the petition “out of an abundance of caution.”
Referred to as “Advanced Calling,” this service will give users the ability to place calls to US numbers without charge, so long as the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. International calls over Wi-Fi, however, will still see standard long-distance charges. As the official announcement puts it:
When a customer uses Advanced Calling on our 4G LTE network and travels outside of coverage, the call will seamlessly transfer to a known Wi-Fi hotspot when available.
We’re still not sure which devices Verizon is looking to bring Advanced Calling to over the course of 2016, but we’ll keep you posted as events warrant. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts on Advanced Calling: Useful functionality, or more of a gimmick? Tell us in the comments!