Swisscom, Wednesday launched 'Advanced Callling', joining Operators globally in introducing the Voice-over LTE (VoLTE) service. Advanced Callling includes VoLTE as well as Wifi Calling, allowing users to make calls not only via LTE, but also at any WLAN hotspot.
According to Swisscom, the Operator has been upgrading its 4G/LTE data network in Switzerland and Liechtenstein to support VoLTE and will be rolling out the service in stages across other areas. Swisscom said that its 4G /LTE network currently covers 98% of the population. The VoLTE service will initially be supported on the Samsung Galaxy S5 device and will be extended to Apple, HTC, Huawei, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony devices in the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, the WiFi Calling service will be launched this summer, and will see customers making phone calls from Swisscom's over 2200 WLAN hotspots throughout Switzerland, and will be particularly convenient for those with weak in-building mobile reception. Swisscom added that customers will be automatically allocated the best available network once they activate the WiFi Calling service.
Marc Werner, Head, Residential Customers, Swisscom
In the coming days, we will become the first provider in Switzerland to offer telephony via the 4G/LTE network, followed by WiFi Calling in the near future. This will enable us to provide our customers with the best possible telephony experience. The term Advanced Calling covers both VoLTE and WiFi Calling.
