WiFi Calling Optimization with NetSpot

Traditionally, when you make a phone call on your cell phone, you are connected to the person you’re calling through a cell phone tower. Cellular networks are comprised of many such towers, each emitting omnidirectional cell tower signals up to 100 watts of power.

Mobile network operators who own, maintain, and design these networks would like to cover every square inch with a strong, reliable cellular signal, but that’s unfortunately not always viable. Some areas are simply too out of reach or too scarcely populated to make it worthwhile for mobile network operators to construct expensive cell phone towers in such places.

Of course, a cellular signal isn’t always perfect even in major cities. Sometimes the signal doesn’t penetrate the thick walls of concrete buildings, sometimes it doesn’t reach far enough underground to cover subway stations and basements, and sometimes there’s so much interference that phone calls drop without any warning.

All of this is happening while nearly every household, every office, and every public place is covered with a strong WiFi signal. So, why not use it to make phone calls? From the carrier’s point-of-view, it’s just a simple matter of sending the same data over a different network. From the end user’s point-of-view, it takes just a few taps on the screen to activate the service, assuming WiFi calling is included in the end user’s plan.

Besides offering superior signal reception, WiFi calling also increases the audio quality of phone calls. Some mobile network operators support a feature called HD voice, which is high definition voice quality for telephony audio. Instead of being limited to the range of 300 Hz to 3.4 kHz, like traditional cell phone calls are, it uses a much wider range of 50 Hz to 7 kHz or higher. Of course, higher audio quality means higher bandwidth requirements.