Verizon iPhone Customers Will Call Over Wi-Fi

Following three other major US cell phone carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint), Verizon has begun taking steps to offer Wi-Fi calling to customers using Apple’s iPhone.

While the largest wireless operator in the United States seems to be taking its sweet time to offer the service to users, there is a lot of regulation behind it. Wi-Fi Calling does not currently support teletypewriter (TTY), a service that allows deaf and hard of hearing customers to communicate over the phone via written text.

T-Mobile and Sprint have made progress ignoring federal regulations requiring their support and enabled iPhone Wi-Fi Calling for their customers. Not wanting to risk upsetting the federal government and allowing its competitors to dodge such an advantage at the same time, AT&T petitioned the FCC to waive the regulation. This waiver gets the company out of offering routed cell service over Wi-Fi by the end of 2017.

After the commission invited other carriers to apply, Verizon asked the FCC to grant them a similar waiver. Like AT&T, they plan to switch from TTY to a different standard known as real-time text (RTT). RTT transmits each letter as it is written, allowing users to communicate – as you would expect – in real time. In granting exemptions to AT&T, the FCC said it was unclear whether carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint were “compliant” with TTY regulations. “A waiver to such organizations would not be appropriate without further clarification from such organizations about their current and future plans to meet the accessibility needs of persons with communication disabilities in an IP wireless environment.”

Given Verizon’s well-developed RTT plan, it is certain that they will be granted a waiver. But T-Mobile and Sprint may not be so lucky.

Meanwhile, Verizon has started offering its own version of Wi-Fi calling (separate from iOS’ built-in Wi-Fi Calling). Verizon Message+ iOS app on October 15th. While lukewarm reviews suggest customers aren’t too happy, Verizon’s app lets iPad users make and receive calls—something the built-in iOS option doesn’t.