New Delhi-based Bharti Airtel and Navi Mumbai headquartered Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio) are in advanced stages of testing Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) services, a technology that keeps users connected even without a mobile signal. This move will enable telecom companies to take on over-the-top players such as Skype, WhatsApp, Hike, Facebook and Google which are eating into their voice revenues.
The advantages of VoWi-Fi are:
- It eliminates mobile blackspots for users by making it possible to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi or wireless internet connections.
- It does not require mobile networks nor SIM cards to facilitate the calls.
- The receiver doesn’t need to have Wi-Fi calling facilities; calls can be accessed on a Voice over Long Term Evolution or VoLTE, the technology used in a 4G services handset.
- Users can seamlessly move from VoLTE to VoWi-Fi without the call getting disconnected — currently, if a user switches from mobile voice calling to Wi-Fi network, the call gets disrupted.
- It will provide connectivity to customers in rural and far-flung areas where it is difficult to set up mobile infrastructure.
U.K. headquartered Vodafone Group has already launched the services in certain countries and can do so anytime in India.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
