The service will help a mobile user initiate an internet call using the nearest public Wi-Fi network, and route it to the destination mobile or landline network.
NEW DELHI: Mobile phone users may soon have the choice to make voice calls over a Wi-Fi network, besides the traditional form of voice calling, which may prove especially useful in areas with poor call connectivity.
The department of telecommunications (DoT) on Wednesday amended licence conditions, allowing telcos to allot a single mobile number for both cellular mobile service and internet telephony service, which will open doors for carriers to offer voice over Wi-Fi service – even without a cellular signal – in the near term.
The service will help a mobile user initiate an internet call using the nearest public Wi-Fi network, and route it to the destination mobile or landline network.
"The licensees should comply with all the interception and monitoring-related requirements as specified in the licence as amended from time to time for providing internet telephony," the department said in a notice.
The subscribers may be informed about the limitation of providing access to emergency services to internet telephony subscribers in unambiguous terms. The licensees must inform quality of service parameter supported by them for internet telephony so that the subscribers can take an informed decision,” it added in the notification.
DoT has also allowed telcos to use each other's data networks when consumers make voice calls over Wi-Fi, even allowing third party companies to offer the service if they can procure a licence. It has asked carriers to ensure that all lawful interception and monitoring requirements are adhered to.
"The impact of this would be different for different consumers and operators, and consumers and operators would need to assess the impact of this individually,” said Rajan Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents telco biggies Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea and Reliance Jio. “For instance, if a customer has a voice plan, such a service is likely to benefit as it may give the customer a lower costing plan, but for a person who is already using data plan where voice is free, such an option may not matter as much," he said.
The association however red-flagged DoT’s move to allow internet telephony to be offered by companies that don't have their own network. “It should only be allowed under access service licence wherein the licensee has its own network/internet service,” it said.
Some industry experts said the move may partially free up spectrum which can be used for regular calls and data.
Last month, the Telecom Commission — the highest decision making body of the communications ministry — had backed the push from sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for internet telephony amid rising incidence of call drops to give mobile users more options to make calls, especially when mobile signals are inadequate.
ET had previously reported that top carriers, including Jio, Idea and Airtel are silently readying to offer these calling services initially through the `voice over Wi-Fi’ route, once the policy is notified by the government. Such `voice over Wi-Fi’ calling services will immediately work on 4G VoLTE devices.
Reliance Jio is learnt to have successfully tested the calling product internally and is learnt to be running trials. Market leader Bharti Airtel and Kumar Birla-led Idea Cellular are also learnt to be open to offering internet calling services once there are adequate VoLTE devices in the market.
"Any VoLTE phone would automatically support voice over Wi-Fi calling service, but a non-VoLTE device would require an app with a suitable dialer to make a call using Wi-Fi data," a senior handset industry executive said.
DoT had sought clarifications from Trai on routing of international voice calls over public internet, the relevant numbering scheme and a local interception mechanism before notifying the internet telephony policy.
In its amendment, the department has specified that internet telephony calls from overseas should be handed over at the international gateway of licensed ILDOs and international termination charges shall be paid to the terminating access service provider.
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