Signal Boost is “Brilliant”

There was an interesting article in The Independent the other day. The author, David Phelan, wrote a piece called “How I FINALLY found a way to make a phone call.”

He pointed out the problems that a lot of Londoners have – even in the middle of town, coverage is spotty. It’s Orange’s Signal Boost (powered by UMA and Kineto’s Smart Wi-Fi Application) actually solves the problem in the end.

“This story, you’ll be glad to know, has a happy ending in the form of UMA. This stands for Unlicensed Mobile Access or as I think of it, Ultimately My Answer. It’s a service which is unique to one network but luckily, it’s Orange. It connects my phone to my wi-fi for calls, so poor GSM signal is irrelevant. But it’s a brilliant trick. Now my phone just, you know rings.”

More satisfied customers

(Click on image if need to view it bigger for reading.)

Wi-Fi Continues to Dominate

According to new research from IHS iSuppli, shipments of electronic products with embedded WLAN will exceed one billion units for the first time in 2011.

As Fierce reported:

"The firm said that number of connected devices will continue to grow exponentially--surpassing 2 billion in 2015--as wide local area network (WLAN) connectivity increasingly becomes a standard feature in devices. IHS iSuppli said consumer electronics, computer, communications and automotive products with built-in WLAN connectivity such as Wi-Fi will reach 1.2 billion units in 2011, a figure that represents a 35.8 percent increase from 880.4 billion in 2010."

Clearly, Wi-Fi is the dominant in-building technology around the world. We read more and more about the growth of Wi-Fi every day. And with Smart Wi-Fi, it is the perfect complement to the macro cellular network.

Why? Well, don't just take my word for it!

"In today's world of connected electronics, consumers expect seamless access to Internet communications, services and content in any place and at any time," said Dr. Jagdish Rebello, senior director and principal analyst for communications and consumer electronics at IHS in a press release.

Need more proof points for the importance and value of Wi-Fi to the mobile network? Here are just a few. A quick web search will reveal many more:

- Wi-Fi may just be the glue to hold AT&T, T-Mobile networks together from Dan Jones of LightReading

- T-Mobile talks up its Wi-Fi Calling Advantage

- In US, 62% of Internet connected homes have Wi-Fi

- Operators rushing to Wi-Fi

Do you think Wi-Fi is fast becoming a necessity for mobile operators to integrate? Let me know in the comments.

“Wi-Fi Calling is Awesome”

That’s what Sascha Segan, lead analyst for PCMag Mobile, concluded after his business trip to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress 2011 and subsequent family vacation around Spain.

Segan writes:

“Wi-Fi calling is awesome. Making phone calls while roaming usually costs $1 or more per minute. Skype is one way around this. T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling feature can be even better, as it lets you make and receive calls using your U.S. phone number and standard T-Mobile service plan.”

Need I say more?

But I will. Our team who attended MWC 2011 also had lower numbers for our expense reports because we were able to stay in contact with our families and colleagues cheaply with Wi-Fi Calling. For international travel, it’s a no brainer.