Set for launch this autumn, the service will enable customers to make calls when connected by Wifi in homes and offices.
“Our Wifi calling capability will let customers make calls where they have access to Wifi but not to the mobile network. The customer experience is seamless because it’s the same as making a network call and uses the normal call interface of the handset,” said Fotis Karonis, CTO at EE.
The operator will also begin trialling 4G VoLTE calls later this year, which it hopes will expand network coverage in rural areas by using lower frequencies. It plans to utilise its 800MHz spectrum, which has greater reach than 1800MHz spectrum, to increase the geographical coverage of its data and voice network.
The service is expected to be commercially available in 2015.
“4G calling, or VoLTE, is an exciting technology that we’re going to be trialling in the coming months using our low-frequency spectrum, bringing one of the world’s best voice and data services to a part of rural Britain that has previously been unconnected,” said Karonis.