Hungary’s mobile networks are among the best in the world, but due to the nature of the technology and wave propagation characteristics, mobile radio signals emitted by base stations may not reach the inside of thick-walled buildings, deep inside metal-framed buildings or underground rooms. Yettel’s VoWiFi service, now available at no extra charge, helps by connecting to the local WiFi network as the first step in establishing an indoor mobile connection and then accessing the operator’s mobile network from there, significantly improving deep indoor network coverage. Launched in March for the operator’s business subscribers, Yettel VoWiFi is now available to the wider consumer audience.
Two steps and the service is available
To use the WoWiFi technology and activate the service on the network side, Yettel subscribers need to send a free text message with the keyword “VOWIFI” to 1744. The second step is to activate the service on a VoWiFi-enabled mobile phone after a quick menu setup. Then, if the mobile network signal is weak or unavailable, the handset will automatically make and receive incoming calls and handle SMS traffic via the connected WiFi network.
“We are about to complete a network development investment project worth tens of billions of HUF, which has not only increased the capacity of the national 4G network to 2-3 times its previous level, but also paved the way for the introduction of 5G, which we are now providing to our customers through more than 700 base stations. Thanks to this major upgrade, we can now offer our customers new capabilities in addition to the increasingly advanced mobile network access. As a result, all our business customers and consumers can now enjoy the VoWiFi service,” said György Koller, Chief Technical Officer of Yettel.
VoWiFi is fully interoperable with the traditional mobile network. Both (4G-based) VoLTE and VoWiFi can provide excellent voice call quality, and the transition between the technologies is seamless even during a call. If you change location during a call, the system automatically switches to the available network – or to the preferred network, if both technologies are available – so that when you move out of the range of your WiFi network, you can continue the call on VoLTE without interruption, and vice versa.
On Yettel’s network, the service is currently being supported by VoWiFi-enabled Samsung handsets released after the last quarter of 2022 and handsets running Apple’s iOS17 operating system, and soon it will also be available on newer Xiaomi, Nokia, Huawei and Honor handsets. 70 percent of new mobile phones available from Yettel are already WoWiFi-enabled, and this percentage will continue to grow in the future.
More information: http://yettel.hu/vowifi
How to activate VoWiFi on a suitable handset?
Yettel Hungary subscribers need to send a free text message with the keyword “VOWIFI” to 1744 to activate the service on the network side.
Where to set up VoWiFi on different handsets?
On Android: Settings > Connections > WiFi call > Slide to switch on
It is also worth setting call preference to “Mobile network if possible”
On iOS: Settings > Mobile network > WiFi calls > Slide to switch on