Wi-Fi calling refers to mobile phone voice calls and data that are made over IP networks using Wi-Fi, instead of the cell towers provided by cellular networks.[1] Using this feature, compatible handsets are able to route regular cellular calls through a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) network with broadband Internet, while seamlessly change connections between the two where necessary.[2] This feature makes use of the Generic Access Network (GAN) protocol, also known as Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA).[3][4]
Essentially, GAN/UMA allows cell phone packets to be forwarded to a network access point over the internet, rather than over-the-air using GSM/GPRS, UMTS or similar. A separate device known as a "GAN Controller" (GANC)[4] receives this data from the Internet and feeds it into the phone network as if it were coming from an antenna on a tower. Calls can be placed from or received to the handset as if it were connected over-the-air directly to the GANC's point of presence; the system is essentially invisible to the network as a whole.[citation needed] This can be useful in locations with poor cell coverage where some other form of internet access is available,[1] especially at the home or office. The system offers seamless handoff, so the user can move from cell to Wi-Fi and back again with the same invisibility that the cell network offers when moving from tower to tower.[2]
Since the GAN system works over the internet, a UMA-capable handset can connect to its service provider from any location with internet access. This is particularly useful for travellers, who can connect to their provider's GANC and make calls into their home service area from anywhere in the world.[citation needed] This is subject to the quality of the internet connection, however, and may not work well over limited bandwidth or long-latency connection. To improve quality of service (QoS) in the home or office, some providers also supply a specially programmed wireless access point that prioritizes UMA packets.[5] Another benefit of Wi-Fi calling is that mobile calls can be made through the internet using the same native calling client; it does not require third-party Voice over IP (VoIP) closed services like WhatsApp or Skype, relying instead on the mobile cellular operator.[6]
The GAN protocol that extends mobile voice, data and multimedia (IP Multimedia Subsystem/Session Initiation Protocol (IMS/SIP)) applications over IP networks. The latest generation system is named or VoWiFi by a number of handset manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, a move that is being mirrored by carriers like T-Mobile US and Vodafone.[citation needed] The service is dependent on IMS, IPsec, IWLAN and ePDG.
The original Release 6 GAN specification supported a 2G (A/Gb) connection from the GANC into the mobile core network (MSC/GSN). Today[when?] all commercial GAN dual-mode handset deployments are based on a 2G connection and all GAN enabled devices are dual-mode 2G/Wi-Fi. The specification, though, defined support for multimode handset operation. Therefore, 3G/2G/Wi-Fi handsets are supported in the standard. The first 3G/UMA devices were announced in the second half of 2008.
A typical UMA/GAN handset will have four modes of operation:
In all cases, the handset scans for GSM cells when it first turns on, to determine its location area. This allows the carrier to route the call to the nearest GANC, set the correct rate plan, and comply with existing roaming agreements.
At the end of 2007, the GAN specification was enhanced to support 3G (Iu) interfaces from the GANC to the mobile core network (MSC/GSN). This native 3G interface can be used for dual-mode handset as well as 3G femtocell service delivery. The GAN release 8 documentation describes these new capabilities.
While UMA is nearly always associated with dual-mode GSM/Wi-Fi services, it is actually a ‘generic’ access network technology that provides a generic method for extending the services and applications in an operator's mobile core (voice, data, IMS) over IP and the public Internet.
GAN defines a secure, managed connection from the mobile core (GANC) to different devices/access points over IP.
UMA was developed by a group of operator and vendor companies.[9] The initial specifications were published on 2 September 2004. The companies then contributed the specifications to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as part of 3GPP work item "Generic Access to A/Gb interfaces". On 8 April 2005, 3GPP approved specifications for Generic Access to A/Gb interfaces for 3GPP Release 6 and renamed the system to GAN. [10][11] But the term GAN is little known outside the 3GPP community, and the term UMA is more common in marketing.[citation needed]
For carriers:
For subscribers:
The first service launch was BT with BT Fusion in the autumn of 2005. The service is based on pre-3GPP GAN standard technology. Initially, BT Fusion used UMA over Bluetooth with phones from Motorola. From January 2007, it used UMA over 802.11 with phones from Nokia, Motorola and Samsung[14] and was branded as a "Wi-Fi mobile service". BT has since discontinued the service.
On August 28, 2006, TeliaSonera was the first to launch an 802.11 based UMA service called "Home Free".[15] The service started in Denmark but is no longer offered.
On September 25, 2006 Orange announced its "Unik service", also known as Signal Boost in the UK.[16][17] However this service is no longer available to new customers in the UK.[18] The announcement, the largest to date, covers more than 60m of Orange's mobile subscribers in the UK, France, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands.
Cincinnati Bell announced the first UMA deployment in the United States.[19] The service, originally called CB Home Run, allows users to transfer seamlessly from the Cincinnati Bell cellular network to a home wireless network or to Cincinnati Bell's WiFi HotSpots. It has since been rebranded as Fusion WiFi.
This was followed shortly by T-Mobile US on June 27, 2007.[20] T-Mobile's service, originally named "Hotspot Calling", and rebranded to "Wi-Fi Calling" in 2009, allows users to seamlessly transfer from the T-Mobile cellular network to an 802.11x wireless network or T-Mobile HotSpot in the United States.
In Canada, both Fido and Rogers Wireless launched UMA plans under the names UNO and Rogers Home Calling Zone (later rebranded Talkspot, and subsequently rebranded again as Wi-Fi Calling), respectively, on May 6, 2008.[21]
In Australia, GAN has been implemented by Vodafone, Optus and Telstra.[22]
Since 10 April 2015, Wi-Fi Calling has been available for customers of EE in the UK initially on the Nokia Lumia 640 and Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge handsets.[23]
In March 2016, Vodafone Netherlands launched Wi-Fi Calling support along with VoLTE.[24]
Since the Autumn of 2016, Wifi Calling / Voice over Wifi has been available for customers of Telenor Denmark, including the ability to do handover to and from the 4G (VoLTE) network. This is available for several Samsung and Apple handsets.
AT&T[25] and Verizon[26] are going to launch Wi-Fi calling in 2015.
Industry organisation UMA Today tracks all operator activities and handset development.
In September 2015, South African cellular network Cell C launched WiFi Calling on its South African network.[27]
GAN/UMA is not the first system to allow the use of unlicensed spectrum to connect handsets to a GSM network. The GIP/IWP standard for DECT provides similar functionality, but requires a more direct connection to the GSM network from the base station. While dual-mode DECT/GSM phones have appeared, these have generally been functionally cordless phones with a GSM handset built-in (or vice versa, depending on your point of view), rather than phones implementing DECT/GIP, due to the lack of suitable infrastructure to hook DECT base-stations supporting GIP to GSM networks on an ad-hoc basis.[28]
GAN/UMA's ability to use the Internet to provide the "last mile" connection to the GSM network solves the major issue that DECT/GIP has faced. Had GIP emerged as a practical standard, the low power usage of DECT technology when idle would have been an advantage compared to GAN.[citation needed]
There is nothing preventing an operator from deploying micro- and pico-cells that use towers that connect with the home network over the Internet. Several companies have developed femtocell systems that do precisely that, broadcasting a "real" GSM or UMTS signal, bypassing the need for special handsets that require 802.11 technology. In theory, such systems are more universal, and again require lower power than 802.11, but their legality will vary depending on the jurisdiction, and will require the cooperation of the operator. Further, users may be charged at higher cell phone rates, even though they are paying for the DSL or other network that ultimately carries their traffic; in contrast, GAN/UMA providers charge reduced rates when making calls off the providers cellular phone network.[citation needed]
