OPTUS LAUNCHES Wi-Fi CALLING APP - WiFi TALK

Never have to hold your phone in the corner of the room to find service again. Source: AP

SICK of going to a mate’s place and having no phone reception? Well that will soon be a thing of the past.

Optus today became the first Aussie telco to introduce Wi-Fi calling to customers, through a new app that allows you to make and receive calls and texts over a Wi-Fi connection. This is
regardless of whether or not you have any mobile reception.

The app is called Wi-Fi Talk and is available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store to both prepaid customers and those on plans.

There’s no limit to who you can talk to, other than what your regular plan limits you to. So you’re free to call or text any phone number in the world and it will just be deducted from your standard mobile plan.

To make a call, all that’s needed is a minimum speed of 100Kb per second, which just about any broadband connection can supply.

Optus’ vice president of customer experience and delivery Amanda Hutton said that, “Wi-Fi Talk is a simple way for Optus customers to stay connected where they have access to a Wi-Fi connection. This is the first of many exciting developments for Optus in the Wi-Fi calling space.”

Wi-Fi calling has been on the cards for telcos for a while now, with Telstra and Vodafone both expected to be launching their own rivals to the service in the near future.