Etisalat, UAE’s leading telecom service provider, has completed the country’s first successful trial of the Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) solution.

VoWiFi will extend Etisalat’s mobile service coverage and will enable Etisalat’s customers to make and receive calls using their home WiFi or in public WiFi areas, said a statement.

The advanced technologies deployed to enable VoWiFi will ensure that customers experience a seamless call handover between LTE and WiFi as well as faster call set-up times and better voice quality, it said.

Etisalat conducted the trial in partnership with leading ICT solution provider Huawei, who provided end-to-end networking solution, including radio access and core network elements.

Esmaeel Alhammadi, senior vice president, Network Development, Etisalat, said: “Etisalat constantly assesses new and advanced technologies to enhance our capabilities such that we can meet the personalised demands of our customers.

“To that end, VoWiFi service will enable us to maximize the potential of our current network and consequently, provide customers with an optimum mobile experience.”

Alan Wang, president of Huawei Etisalat Global Key Account, said: “VoWiFi is an important service offering that operators can utilize to solve indoor coverage issues immediately. With Huawei’s expertise, operators will be able to leverage this technology that will greatly benefit their subscribers.

“With global VoWiFi industry chain having matured greatly over the past year, deploying VoWiFi is an increasingly significant way in which leading operators like Etisalat are improving the user experience.” - TradeArabia News Service