Wifi Calling?

[olofRense]

Doing my research before joining. 

I am using Rogers now, thinking to join here

I searched Help found VoLTE is here, but don't see words about Wifi Calling, Public Mobile has that too?

[strangeways_ca]

PM aren't going to implement it unless their hand is forced? Sounds like we need to petition the CRTC then, since it is a matter of public safety.

Also, it would take additional strain of the cell network, so this could only be a win-win as I see it.

[hTideGnow]

HI @strangeways_ca 

i agree it is a nice to have, but this is a not a feature that is required by CRTC.   Wifi Calling is a paid feature in some carriers still.  So,  I don't think it will come soon

[strangeways_ca]

It's imperative that WIFI calling becomes available on PM from a public safety standpoint. I operate a business in the north end of Nanaimo, which has little to no coverage because some residents read too many Facebook comments sections and vehemently oppose a new cell tower being constructed because they think 5G makes their dogs gay or something. Nevermind the fact that it's impossible to make calls from North Nanaimo/Lantzville for business/personal purposes, if there was an emergency, more people could die as they have already have done on Hammond Bay rd where there is a reception dead zone.

This shouldn't be seen as a luxury feature when public safety is concerned. Why should the rest of us suffer just because a vocal minority of people are ignorant?

[Shawn434]

Really hope PM can provide the support. 

[maximum_gato]

Hmmmm....weird seems I can send and recieve calls to certain numbers when suspended and not even on wifi? There's no rhyme or reason for this? I thought something went wrong when I disabled autopay and renewed but 611 confirmed the account is suspended. The phone isn't even a former telus phone. Gotta love the good glitches !

Public Mobile is Grrrreat!🐯🐈‍⬛😀

[MountainMaxMan2]

They offer 5G now but still no wifi calling 😞 

[hTideGnow]

Hi @SteTem

thanks for the info 

but I think OP here is more about Wifi Calling here and not roaming 

[BKNS27]

@SteTem 

Both Tello and Mint Mobile are good but i use TextNow SIM. Price of the SIM jumped from $0.99 to $4.99.

I get free calling and texting anywhere in the USA on LTE.

[SteTem]

If you travel to the States often or spend a lot of time there i would suggest as I do

buy a tier 2 or 3 sim card,, I use Tello (T Mobile)

cost is $6 a month and it allows wifi calling,, i keep my number active year round

it is thier least expensive plan and if needed i can upgrade the plan as needed with a few clicks on my laptop or phone

although I am back in Canada I use my phone with wifi from Canada

[maximum_gato]

@olofRense 

I suppose it depends on how you use your device while in the US. Roger's currently charges $12/day for their "Roam like Home" services. So it's a minimum $60 plan + $12 per day to use your plan services. With public mobile it's your plan price ($15 and up)+either $15 (talk+text) or $30 (talk+text+3gb data) for 15 days of roaming service with only the data limited to 3gb. So while the length of time the add ons are valid for are longer than needed after a day or two they are far cheaper than the convenience of "Roam like Home" services.

The grandfathered pm $60 Canada/US Roaming plan with 8.5gb/2gb of data would have suited your needs perfectly but it was only offered for a few months in 2019.

[dust2dust]

---

@olofRense wrote:

@dust2dustyou meant Public has a $30 US per year thing? I can't find it

---

I did not mean that. It's a reseller (MVNO) from the states that offers these deals on ebay. Red Pocket Mobile. They also have a regular web presence but they offer things on their ebay store as well.

[olofRense]

Wow, that is a lot to read, so many replies

Sorry, I think I will hold on for moving.  I might still need the Roam Like Home from Rogers for its daily price 

However, look like I can stop the US work part soon, I will then reconsider coming to Public at that time

And thanks 

[olofRense]

@dust2dust you meant Public has a $30 US per year thing? I can't find it

[DennyCrane]

I get that. I make a lot of short trips to the US as well, and my solution is to run a secondary e-sim on my phone from a provider called Ubigi. I purchase their annual data plan which is $68 USD for a full year, and that gets me 2GB per month. As soon as i cross the border i enable data on the e-sim, and then turn it off again when I get back to Canada. 

The downside to this is it doesn't give me phone calls or text, so for longer trips I'll purchase the $15/15 day SMS/call package as needed. Most short trips I can get by on just data though, but even if I needed the $15 text/phone add on, it's not that far out of line with roam like home/easy roam.

[olofRense]

@maximum_gato  yes, 15 days value is good, but not something I need for my case. I am going for short work trip not for vacation

[olofRense]

@K_GL I kind of know, I checked Public last year, and decide not to join because it had no VoLTE

[olofRense]

@benfatto   I have a great iPhone, working VoLTE well on Rogers

[olofRense]

@DennyCrane yes, the Wifi calling is a nice to have thing. I might be able to live without

[olofRense]

@hTideGnow mine is similar, only a day trip

[olofRense]

@DennyCrane  Problem is mine is a short US  day trip  and come up not a lot but when I need to go, it is with shot notice.  But yes, price is good for 15 days

[maximum_gato]

@kquin 

You can purchase a cell booster to overcome the signal impediment caused by your roofing materials.

[kquin]

I can't receive phone calls inside my house due to having a metal roof and spotty reception outside. Voice over WiFi would be an amazing feature for me.

[DennyCrane]

It's great for areas with poor or no service. 

[siberianquirk]

Wifi calling is great for areas with poor cell reception, but I'd be surprised if Public Mobile got it anytime soon.

The only reason we got VoLTE is because the 3G network is in the process of being shutdown over the next couple of years.

[benfatto]

@olofRense  When would you need wifi calling when all plans but $15 have unlimited calling?

[DennyCrane]

I agree it probably costs them nothing to enable it, but it's all about increasing ARPU, and they don't accomplish that by pushing everyone over to Tier 3. I don't necessarily equate wanting to make a profit with greed, but to each their own. At the end of the day PM is very good value to me, but it's not for everyone. My cell phone bills are about 1/3 of what they were 15 years ago, and there aren't too many of my goods and services i can say that about.   

As for the US, it's not an apples to apples comparison as there are significantly greater levels of competition in this industry down south.

[DennyCrane]

Yeah for 1 day trips i get that. But with Telus at $14/day, PM becomes a pretty good deal at days 2 and 3. And anything longer than that it becomes a really good deal, assuming you need service every day. The nice thing about easy roam / roam like home is you don't get charged for days you don't have usage.

But honestly, I remember paying $8/MB and $1.50/minute to roam, so today's rates are a bargain compared to 10 years ago.  

[hTideGnow · Accepted solution]

I agree the overall price is cheaper per day, but some don't like the 15 days length.    My brother went US last week for a short 2 days trip, decided to not pay the full 15 days for it

[DennyCrane]

I doubt we'll get wifi calling anytime soon, if ever. Public Mobile is a tier 3 provider who is part of Telus. It's no frills and low prices. If features such as WiFi calling are important to you you'll want to consider their tier 1 (Telus) or Tier 2 (Koodo) providers. Telus isn't going to give all the extra goodies to their budget brand, otherwise there'd be little incentive to upgrade to a Tier 1 or 2 provider at a higher rate. 

As for roaming, we're limited to the US only. Beyond that there is no service. Having said that, Public Mobiles roaming prices in the US are significantly cheaper than Tier 1 and 2 providers.

[K_GL]

Do you know that we've been eagerly waiting for years and have just recently started offering volte services, and now you come along asking for the more advanced wificalling? I'm just kidding.lol