John Legere, the CEO of T-Mobile has announced that T-Mobile will offer free Wi-Fi texting and calling during the Un-carrier 7.0 event.
This means that if you’re in a region with poor cell signal coverage, you can take advantage of whichever Wi-Fi connection is available. You will be able to make HD voice calls.
Wi-Fi texting and calling also provides a huge benefit for people like me, who spend plenty of time at home with a Wi-Fi and DSL Internet connection.
‘To enable this, every new smartphone sold by T-Mobile will come Wi-Fi-enabled for Wi-Fi texting and calling (the feature must be built-in by manufacturers).
Additionally, all of the carrier’s existing customers have the ability to trade in their existing device for one of the new Wi-Fi-enabled handsets via the company’s Jump program.’
T-Mobile also allows customers to switch carriers without early termination fees (ETF), and to ‘test drive’ iPhones for a week before committing to a contract.
Every company’s policy has its strengths and weaknesses. Some prioritize reliability, while others prioritize the importance of low fees, and performance.
While some: like T-Mobile, put freedom high on their list of priorities, which is unusual for a carrier, because cellphone service providers usually insist on locking phones permanently. Wi-Fi texting and calling is one of the greatest additions to their service i’ve seen so far.
How Would Wi-Fi Texting Affect Demand For Public Wi-Fi Hotspots?
People browse the Internet often, but what I see them do most is text, which is done through carriers, and not Wi-Fi. This heavy texting is very costly. Therefore, enabling Wi-Fi texting would increase the incentive to find Wi-Fi hotspots when they aren’t at home.
Is It Worth It To Hunt For Wi-Fi Hotspots When You’re On The Road?
That isn’t worth it to me, because I don’t text very often. However, it depends on how common Wi-Fi hotspots are in your area.
If they are rare, then you’re going to get sick of hunting for them and give up eventually. If they’re common, then it may be worth it to you.
Source: Mashable.
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