Calls Despite Lack Of Cellular Network? Reliance Jio Spotted Testing Vo-WiFi Network Across Various States 

Reliance Jio has been spotted testing the Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) service in India and is expected to launch the service soon, the Telecom Talk reports. VoWi-Fi uses IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology which can seamlessly handle VoLTE calls between LTE and Wi-Fi and vice-versa.

In July, it was reported that Jio was testing the service and was expected to launch it soon. According to the report, the company was spotted testing the service in various circles in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala.

The report cites a screenshot on an iPhone 7 over the VoWifi from Nikhil Sharma in Gadarwara, Madhya Pradesh. The report estimates that Jio will launch the service in January next year.

In the early stages, the VoWi-Fi service will only be available on the Jio network, after which the company will be expanding it to other networks.

The company also plans to initiate the service for its feature phone, the JioPhone. The implementation of the VoWi-Fi over the 4G feature phones and the affordable costs of the phone will provide the required push for technology to people in rural areas with weak network connections.

Telcos started testing VoWi-Fi after the concept was recommended by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). An earlier report said that Jio was able to complete the security testing as per the norms of the DoT.

The report also reveals that various operators like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, following in Jio’s footsteps, are speeding up their operations to ensure the VoWi-Fi tech reaches their users as soon as possible.

The new project's infrastructure is according to the government’s ‘Public Open Wi-Fi’ scheme, through which the Centre plans to roll out cheap internet and various other internet-based services for rural areas, tier-1 and tier-2 cities.