Wifi Calling + iMessage hopefully crushes Verizon, ATT

[krause734]

I am hoping that the new iMessage capable of texting any phone number and wifi phone calls will pressure cell phone companies to lower their ridiculous data prices. Sure it's nice to have 4G LTE data anywhere but I could live with a wifi only phone if I had to.

 

[617aircav]

iMessage isn't capable of texting any number. It's iOS to iOS.

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I am hoping that the new iMessage capable of texting any phone number and wifi phone calls will pressure cell phone companies to lower their ridiculous data prices. Sure it's nice to have 4G LTE data anywhere but I could live with a wifi only phone if I had to.

Wifi phone calls using your cell number requires the cellphone companies to work.

 

[xanadeath]

I am hoping that the new iMessage capable of texting any phone number and wifi phone calls will pressure cell phone companies to lower their ridiculous data prices. Sure it's nice to have 4G LTE data anywhere but I could live with a wifi only phone if I had to.

iMessage is iOS only and WiFi calling is through the carrier and has to be supported by the carrier.

 

[Starfyre]

What 617aircav said... and until Wifi becomes available in a much larger scale capacity than it is now, no carrier crushing will ensue.

Domestically, Wifi calling is useless for all the "Unlimited Talk" plans that are already out there, doesn't hurt them one bit. In fact, its probably doing the exact opposite of crushing... instead helping Verizon and AT&T lessen the stress on their cellular network as more people use Wifi for calling.

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

I am hoping that the new iMessage capable of texting any phone number and wifi phone calls will pressure cell phone companies to lower their ridiculous data prices. Sure it's nice to have 4G LTE data anywhere but I could live with a wifi only phone if I had to.

Prove it!

 

[617aircav]

What 617aircav said... and until Wifi becomes available in a much larger scale capacity than it is now, no carrier crushing will ensue.

Domestically, Wifi calling is useless for all the "Unlimited Talk" plans that are already out there, doesn't hurt them one bit. In fact, its probably doing the exact opposite of crushing... instead helping Verizon and AT&T lessen the stress on their cellular network as more people use Wifi for calling.

Exactly. I have wifi calling but it's useless to me now. In December when I head out to England to catch some soccer games hopefully it will allow me to stay in touch for free.

 

[Big Dawg 23]

iMessage isn't capable of texting any number. It's iOS to iOS.

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Wifi phone calls using your cell number requires the cellphone companies to work.

With ios8 you now recieve text messages in iMessage. My friend has a galaxy s3 and all his messages hit my iPhone 6 plus and iPad Air.

 

[jlake02]

The data wars have already begun. I imagine in 3-5 years huge data buckets will be very affordable.

 

[tbayrgs]

With ios8 you now recieve text messages in iMessage. My friend has a galaxy s3 and all his messages hit my iPhone 6 plus and iPad Air.

That is just the SMS being relayed to your iPad. You still need a mobile phone number to be able to receive them. If you didn't have the phone, your friend couldn't text your iPad only.

 

[617aircav]

With ios8 you now recieve text messages in iMessage. My friend has a galaxy s3 and all his messages hit my iPhone 6 plus and iPad Air.

But you can't text him back with I message. You still need a cellular number from the carrier.

 

[rui no onna]

The data wars have already begun. I imagine in 3-5 years huge data buckets will be very affordable.

Hoping for this, too.

AT&T and Verizon have been able to maintain high pricing thanks to device subsidies and lack of competition. Even before "uncarrier", T-Mobile has already offered service-only Value plans for BYOD where, iirc, 4 lines with 1000 minutes, unlimited text and 2GB data per line was just $100-120/mo. Unfortunately, a lot of customers still gravitated towards the more familiar subsidized Classic plans in exchange for "$0-$200" smartphones. T-Mobile getting rid of subsidized plans altogether and the huge advertising campaign is just the impetus the mobile industry needed.

Now if only Verizon and Sprint will start allowing unlocked devices on their network. There's really no good technical reason why Apple couldn't just have released a single dual-mode CDMA/GSM A1586/A1522 model for all US carriers. Heck, they've already done that with the iPad and I'm betting Apple would appreciate the simplicity of having a single SKU in the US for the iPhone, too. Alas, for iPhones, Apple is kinda dependent on carrier subsidies/financing in the US so the carriers are likely to have quite a bit of leverage there. We're probably going to need the FCC's intervention on this one.

 

[rui no onna]

iMessage is iOS only and WiFi calling is through the carrier and has to be supported by the carrier.

The wifi calling feature for T-Mobile covers both calls and SMS. That said, this feature should help T-Mobile gain more subscribers which would put pressure on AT&T and Verizon to offer better pricing.

Right now, it's been kind of like a domino effect. T-Mobile offers non-subsidized plans with low pricing. AT&T and Sprint (and Verizon to a smaller extent) lose customers to T-Mobile. AT&T revamps their share plans to Mobile Share Value with Next/BYOD discounts. Some Verizon customers who value coverage and wouldn't consider T-Mobile or Sprint switch to AT&T. Verizon revamps their share plans to More Everything with EDGE/BYOD discounts. T-Mobile lowers their pricing even further. Sprint matches T-Mobile's pricing and ups the ante by giving oodles of data. AT&T starts offering a double data promo. A day or two later, Verizon offers a double data promo, too. Hooray for competition!

 

[Scott-n-Houston]

I'm hoping, and expecting, that all the data pricing and monitoring will be like AOL minutes were in the early 90's... A relic.

For the kids out there, some of us had to pay for dial-up minutes! Now it's hilarious to imagine.
I'm hoping that our data plans fall in this category years from now.

 

[mtneer]

I'm hoping, and expecting, that all the data pricing and monitoring will be like AOL minutes were in the early 90's... A relic.

For the kids out there, some of us had to pay for dial-up minutes! Now it's hilarious to imagine.
I'm hoping that our data plans fall in this category years from now.

True that. It will remain that way until the carriers find something else they can use to to goose up ARPU (Average Revenue Per User).

First it was:
Talk Minutes
Text Messages
Carrier branded/ exclusive phones
Data..

What is that will allow carriers to relegate data to the "unlimited" bin?

 

[Blorzoga]

I am hoping that the new iMessage capable of texting any phone number and wifi phone calls will pressure cell phone companies to lower their ridiculous data prices. Sure it's nice to have 4G LTE data anywhere but I could live with a wifi only phone if I had to.

You're very ill-informed.

 

[simon48]

It doesn't matter to me because I have unlimited minutes, but I'm curious. Do calls over Wi-Fi use up your minutes? I'm guessing it does, but it does take a bit of the load off of a carriers network...

 

[mtneer]

It doesn't matter to me because I have unlimited minutes, but I'm curious. Do calls over Wi-Fi use up your minutes? I'm guessing it does, but it does take a bit of the load off of a carriers network...

Load off the carriers network.. Onto your ISP, who by the way is also counting your GB's. They just haven't figured out the magic excuse to start charging people by tiered data.

P.S Wifi calling will not significantly affect ISP caps, but it's the principle..

 

[rui no onna]

It doesn't matter to me because I have unlimited minutes, but I'm curious. Do calls over Wi-Fi use up your minutes? I'm guessing it does, but it does take a bit of the load off of a carriers network...

Yes, wifi calling does use minutes for T-Mobile. Given all their new postpaid plans have unlimited calls though, I reckon this really only affect prepaid. While wifi calling does take some load off on towers, do keep in mind that T-Mobile still handles the call connection (just via VoIP) so it's not like they're doing nothing.

 

[simon48]

Yes, wifi calling does use minutes for T-Mobile. Given all their new postpaid plans have unlimited calls though, I reckon this really only affect prepaid. While wifi calling does take some load off on towers, do keep in mind that T-Mobile still handles the call connection (just via VoIP) so it's not like they're doing nothing.

Ok, thanks. I understand how the technical side works, I just didn't know if the carriers were going to do anything different with how they charge for them.

 

[Starfyre]

Yes, wifi calling does use minutes for T-Mobile. Given all their new postpaid plans have unlimited calls though, I reckon this really only affect prepaid. While wifi calling does take some load off on towers, do keep in mind that T-Mobile still handles the call connection (just via VoIP) so it's not like they're doing nothing.

Still uses minutes? Does this mean you are still charged international rate if you are abroad?

 

[TroyBoy30]

What does texting and wifi calling have to do with data?

 

[617aircav]

Still uses minutes? Does this mean you are still charged international rate if you are abroad?

When abroad wifi calling will work like you are in the US. You will be able to make normal calls from your T-Mobile number and also receive calls and texts to your number. I have T-Mobile calling enabled right now and people notice that I am on VoIP. Not as clear as a regular call. Wifi calling is meant to replace bad or weak signals.

 

[rui no onna]

Still uses minutes? Does this mean you are still charged international rate if you are abroad?

You won't be charged roaming but if you call a local number in the country you're visiting, you'll be charged int'l long distance.

 

[Starfyre]

When abroad wifi calling will work like you are in the US. You will be able to make normal calls from your T-Mobile number and also receive calls and texts to your number. I have T-Mobile calling enabled right now and people notice that I am on VoIP. Not as clear as a regular call. Wifi calling is meant to replace bad or weak signals.

When you say normal calls, does this mean you are not charged the international rate depending on the country your in?

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You won't be charged roaming but if you call a local number in the country you're visiting, you'll be charged int'l long distance.

Okay, so:

1- Wifi Calling - Not charged the international rate if you dial a US number
2- Wifi Calling - Charged international rate if you call an international number
3- No Wifi Calling - Charged international rate if you dial a US number

 

[rui no onna]

Okay, so:

1- Wifi Calling - Not charged the international rate if you dial a US number
2- Wifi Calling - Charged international rate if you call an international number
3- No Wifi Calling - Charged international rate if you dial a US number

1 & 2 correct. 3 is wrong. With no wifi calling, you get charged roaming rates whatever country you call and those tend to be more expensive across the board than international long distance rates. I'd just buy a local SIM if I were you instead of dealing with a hefty bill with #3.