United States network provider Verizon recently submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission requesting the agency to allow it to use Wi-Fi calling on its network. Verizon is asking the FCC the same waiver that the latter granted to AT&T early in October.
Enabling Wi-Fi calling feature on network providers opens up a lot of possible problem. According to The Verge, Wi-Fi calling does not support TTY (teletypewriter), a technology used to aid hearing impaired people.
AT&T filed a complaint to the FCC in September, citing that Sprint and T-Mobile disregarded the rules regarding TTY support when they launched their Wi-Fi calling features. AT&T added that the FCC takes quite a long time to approve an outstanding petition.
AT&T decided to bring the issue into the public consciousness and their petition was granted. The company can now enable their Wi-Fi calling feature up until 2017 while testing a replacement technology for the decade-old TTY system.
Weeks following the FFC allowing AT&T to use Wi-Fi calling feature, Verizon is now jumping into the bandwagon and asks if the agency can grant the same waiver it gave to AT&T. Verizon wants the same condition that was granted to AT&T regarding Wi-Fi calling, despite the fact that the replacement TTY technology, called RTT, is not yet fully functional.
According to Android Headlines, Verizon released a statement about the current issue saying, "Comparable waivers may be granted to other similarly situated applicants that meet the necessary criteria for waiver relief and commit to complying with the conditions stated herein."
Verizon already has a Wi-Fi calling app for iOS devices. However, in case the FCC grants their requested waiver, the company can implement a truly integrated Wi-Fi calling feature on iOS and Android devices. This means that smartphones will automatically switch to Wi-Fi whenever the network connection is weak in order to make or receive calls.