Even though some of its rivals have long offered their customers the ability to make calls over Wi-Fi, Verizon has not yet enabled the feature on its network, it’s easier said than done because first the FCC needs to sign off on it before the carrier can actually flip the switch on Wi-Fi calling. Verizon has now filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission asking that it be granted a waiver that will enable it to bring Wi-Fi calling to its customers.
The Federal Communications Commission recently granted a waiver to AT&T which enabled the country’s second largest carrier to flip the switch on Wi-Fi calling even though the technology doesn’t properly support TTY for the hearing impaired.
Verizon has made a direct reference to this waiver that was granted to AT&T and makes it the base of its argument, if the FCC can grant such a waiver to AT&T, surely it can do the same for the country’s largest mobile carrier.
FCC may not be opposed to the idea, rather when it granted AT&T said waiver it invited requests from carriers that seeked a similar waiver, Verizon says that it has submitted this petition “out of an abundance of caution” to ensure that it’s case is properly presented before the regulatory body.
If the FCC accepts this petition and grants the waiver to Verizon, Big Red will then be able to offer Wi-Fi calling to customers on Android, iOS and other platforms compatible with this feature. If not, then its customers will have to continue waiting, to switch to another carrier that already offers this feature.
Filed in . Read more about FCC, Verizon and Wi-Fi Calling.