Innovate with Voice

A recent Wall Street Journal article challenged mobile operators to relook the mobile business model with fresh eyes and warned operators that wireless Wi-Fi Calling and text messaging services soon to be provided by Google and Cablevision – organizations with significant brand, customer relationships and financial clout – will provide serious threats to mobile network usage and subscriber loyalty.

The WSJ article has a good point – operators do need to respond quickly. Mobile carriers have conquered the mobile data onslaught with aggressive LTE launches, spending billions of dollars in network infrastructure, while Google, unhampered by any legacy investment, has leveraged the amenity Wi-Fi access provided by millions of business and by consumer home cable service, while spending orders of magnitude less on access infrastructure. Google is simply following the preferences already demonstrated by consumers and businesses. Wi-Fi accounts for the clear majority of smartphone users’ data consumption.

But a few pioneering mobile operators did in fact recognize the power of Wi-Fi early on and are now established leaders in providing access independent user experience for both voice and data services. In the US in particular, T-Mobile became the first US wireless carrier to launch Wi-Fi Calling and texting service in 2007. In 2014, Verizon launched Advanced Calling 1.0, embedded on its 4G LTE-compatible devices, which included HD Voice and Video Calling and seamless handoff of video calls to Wi-Fi, when available. Outside of the US, other mobile operators, including H3UK and Singtel have also recognized the power of Wi-Fi and now provide access independent services for both voice and data services.

Wi-Fi, once a fallback service used by mobile operators primarily to offload overtaxed capacity or improve coverage, has now become a mainstream part of the network. With the addition of Wi-Fi Calling capability to the newest iPhone, “voice” has again taken center state. Operators can leverage the iPhone momentum to integrate Wi-Fi with other voice services and accelerate subscriber adoption of advanced calling. Rapid integration of Wi-Fi and other advanced voice services by numerous carriers around the world should soon follow.

According to Fierce Wireless, “voice service enhancements like VoLTE and HD Voice are just the tipping point. As operators look for ways to differentiate their offerings with better quality services without straining their networks, there will likely be even more innovations to come.”