Bharti Airtel launches WiFi calling in Delhi-NCR; Jio may follow suit

Airtel has launched Wi-Fi calling after testing it for months, but for now it will work only on Airtel Xstream Fiber and on select smartphones.

The Wi-Fi calling is being rolled out for prepaid and postpaid subscribers across the country, according to Airtel here on Tuesday. "It is currently available in Delhi NCR and will be gradually rolled out across India," it said.

The Wi-Fi calling will let Airtel users make use of the Wi-Fi network in their homes to make calls using VoIP, instead of relying on cellular connectivity. There will be no extra charge for calls made over Airtel Wi-Fi calling and the application consumes minimal data.

Reliance Jio is also working on a similar feature and is expected to launch it soon.

"It is designed to enhance voice calling experience for Airtel smartphone customers, especially when they are indoors. With it, customers with Wi-Fi at home or office will get excellent signal quality indoors," said an Airtel spokesperson.

To use the facility, consumers will have to first ensure that they have a compatible phone.

Currently, Airtel supports all iPhone series starting 6s. It means the service can be accessed by consumers having iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Plus, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Plus, Xiaomi Redmi K20, Redmi K20 Pro and POCO F1, Samsung J6, Samsung A10s, Samsung On6, Samsung M30s, OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro.