Sprint said Friday that it
plans to roll out software updates that will allow users to place calls
via Wi-Fi, but only only on two relatively little-used smartphones.
In the "next few" weeks,
Sprint will begin rolling out the update for its Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
and S4 Mega phones, the company said in a blog post. Sprint plans to bring the Wi-Fi calling update to additional devices in 2014, the company said.
"It's not uncommon for
customers to experience mobile network coverage issues within their
home, apartment or office building due to materials interfering with the
Sprint network," Sprint wrote. "For customers that travel outside of
Sprint's coverage or experience poor coverage in their homes or office,
Wi-Fi calling is a solution that addresses these issues."
The update will be sent to
customers as an over-the-air update, which will require the device's
ability to make calls to halt for a minute or two while the update is
installed.
Essentially, Wi-Fi calling turns your cell phone call into a VOIP call. T-Mobile
first launched Wi-Fi calling in 2010, and the technology is pretty
pervasive throughout its network. As the name suggests, Wi-Fi calling
allows users to place calls via an internal Wi-Fi network, saving
cellular minutes (although T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling originally counted
against your minutes). Today, most modern plans offer unlimited minutes
as part of their service, including Sprint.
Wi-Fi calling has also
been said to improve the voice quality of calls, but today's modern
smartphones, with their improved quality, make this a dubious
proposition, too. The bottom line? If you live in a suburban or rural
area, where your home happens to lie on the fringe of Sprint's service,
Wi-Fi calling can be the way to eliminate a landline but still retain
the confidence that you'll be able to be reached.
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