WIFI CALLING. Contents. Page 2

Transcription

1 September 2015

2 Contents What Is WiFi Calling?... 3 Eligibility and Devices... 3 Incompatible Services... 3 Technical Information... 4 How To Set Up WiFi Calling... 4 Device Setup... 4 Call Handover Behaviour... 4 Network Preference... 4 Home Broadband... 5 Securing A Company WiFi Network... 5 Enabling A Company WiFi Network... 5 Firewalls... 6 Inter-AP Handover... 6 Bandwidth... 6 Security... 6 Emergency Calls... 7 Billing... 7 Differences to 2G/3G Calls... 7 Support... 7 Appendix: Device setup and software versions... 8 Page 2

3 What Is WiFi Calling? WiFi Calling is the latest network innovation from EE. It lets you use your phone to call and text as normal all through WiFi, even when you have no signal. So whether you're working at home, in a cafe or even taking a call whilst waiting for the Tube, WiFi Calling will keep you connected. You don t even need to download an app. Unlike any other solution out there, the great thing about WiFi Calling is you don t have to do anything different. You dial as normal, your phone s contacts work like normal and all your calls and texts will just be charged as per your normal plan. You can use WiFi Calling anywhere in the UK where there s no reception but there is WiFi, like cafes or hotels. Eligibility and Devices WiFi Calling will launch to corporate customers in September 2015, after which it will become available automatically to anyone with a compatible device and 4GEE voice plan (although there are a few exceptions where services may be incompatible see below). From launch the service is available on the Apple iphone 6s, 6s Plus, 6 *, 6 Plus *, 5s *, 5c *, Microsoft Lumia 640, 640 XL, Samsung Galaxy S5 *, S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ and HTC One M9 * and we ll be adding more phones all the time. Note, Samsung, HTC and Microsoft devices must be sourced from EE to include the WiFi Calling settings. Devices sourced direct from the manufacturer, ported in from other operators or bought through other channels may not support WiFi Calling and cannot be upgraded to do so (not applicable for iphone). The service is only available in the UK. Incompatible Services As WiFi Calling uses IMS technology built on our new superfast 4G core network, some services based on 3G call technology will not work with WiFi Calling. These include: Voice VPN Mobile Voice Recording Freedom Smartnumbers Call Safe Pocket Landline We ll be developing these services for future compatibility, but if a 4GEE end user has one of these services, we will not automatically provision them with WiFi Calling. Where users of these services require WiFi Calling, speak to your account manager about the possibility of swapping services. EE also offer a range of Signal Boxes to provide indoor coverage in those instances where WiFi Calling is not possible. * requires an over the air software update see appendix for details Page 3

4 Technical Information How To Set Up WiFi Calling Following the launch of WiFi Calling to corporate customers in September 2015, WiFi Calling will be available immediately on new 4G plans and we will roll the service out to existing 4GEE customers over the subsequent weeks. Existing 4GEE users will receive a standard SMS stating We've updated your settings with the latest services. To get them, delete this message and then turn your phone off and on again. Go to ee.co.uk/help for details when we activate the service. Device Setup Once the service is activated, users will need to switch WiFi Calling on in their device settings menu. Switching on WiFi Calling Call Handover Behaviour A WiFi Calling device will automatically connect to the WiFi Calling service when you go within range of a WiFi access point you have previously authenticated on. There is no need to prompt the device to connect to WiFi again. Some public WiFi hotspots (such as hotels, cafes, airports) may require you to log in via a web page before WiFi Calling can connect. For access to Virgin Media s WiFi service on the London Underground, EE customers can get an access code by texting EEWIFI to If you leave outdoor network coverage and enter an area only covered by WiFi whilst on a call, the call will not handover seamlessly. Similarly, when you go out of range of the WiFi network whilst on a call, your call will drop and you will need to redial from the outside network. Later in 2015, we ll start to enable 4GEE customers to make calls over 4G. This will make the WiFi Calling experience more seamless as it will then allow in-call handover from WiFi to 4G and vice versa. Network Preference Apple iphone 6 Samsung Galaxy S5 Microsoft Lumia 640 The handset must be running the correct version of firmware and WiFi Calling service must be activated on the device. For full details of software versions and setup steps, please see the appendix. Page 4 When WiFi Calling is turned on and an accessible WiFi network is available, devices will automatically switch to WiFi Calling, even if there is also a 2G, 3G or 4G signal available. This preference is pre-set in the devices and cannot be changed. In most scenarios, this will not cause a problem, but if you regularly use your device in an area where WiFi coverage is patchy, slow, or gets particularly busy, it may start to affect your voice call performance.

5 If the outside 2G or 3G network is available in the WiFi area, you can either disconnect from the poorly performing WiFi or switch off WiFi Calling to improve the call experience. Home Broadband WiFi Calling is a great solution for providing coverage to home workers. There should be no additional configuration required to enable WiFi Calling in most homes just connect your handset to the broadband router s WiFi as usual (consult your router or handset documentation for instructions). Whilst a WiFi Call requires only about 60Kbps uplink and downlink, we recommend a minimum broadband speed of 2 Mbps, as ADSL upload speeds are typically much slower than the advertised download speed. A slow upload speed or other devices (computers, tablets, games consoles, Smart TVs etc.) using the broadband bandwidth may affect your call quality. You can check your broadband speeds by running a speed test from WiFi Calling users may find voice quality starts to degrade when using WiFi Calling at the edges of their WiFi coverage, even if data is still usable. In these cases, we recommend repositioning the router to provide better WiFi coverage. At present, there are no known ISPs or commonly provided routers that block WiFi Calling. Securing A Company WiFi Network We appreciate that many corporate customers allow employees devices to use the company WiFi for data access, but may not want the additional network traffic of WiFi Calling going over the company network when there is already good mobile coverage. Asking end users to switch off WiFi Calling when they are in the office may not be feasible and would take away the convenience of WiFi Calling when staff go home. In these cases, a simple firewall change can prevent WiFi Calling traffic using a corporate network whilst still allowing data traffic on the WiFi simply block outbound traffic to and This will prevent devices registering to the WiFi Calling service. Devices will then use existing 2G or 3G coverage for calls, but can continue to use the office WiFi for data. Enabling A Company WiFi Network WiFi Calling works best as a home worker solution or for occasional coverage out and about. For coverage in offices, we would always recommend we undertake a coverage survey and advise the indoor coverage solution to ensure the capacity and quality required. We recognise that this might not always be feasible, so provide the information below only as a guide to configuring a network for small premises. We would not recommend WiFi Calling be used as a coverage solution for an area with more than Page 5

6 10 WiFi Calling users or with multiple access points in the same building. Beyond the information in this guide, EE cannot offer technical support or advise how to enable or improve performance of your corporate network for Wi-Fi Calling. We will not block WiFi Calls from any UK networks, but configuring or troubleshooting a corporate network environment will be the responsibility of your IT manager or WiFi provider. Firewalls As many corporate networks will be protected by company firewalls, for WiFi Calling to work the following ports must be open on your firewalls for outbound connections from all hosts on your WiFi network: Protocol Host Port UDP UDP IP UDP UDP IP IKEv2 session setup IKEv2 session setup IPSec tunnel IKEv2 session setup IKEv2 session setup IPSec tunnel Also note, WiFi Calling packets may exceed a typical 1500 byte MTU, hence packet fragments must be allowed through the firewall (e.g. for a Cisco access list, similar to permit ip any host fragments ). EE cannot advise and are not responsible for any firewall changes or configuration made to enable WiFi Calling. Inter-AP Handover Handover performance of WiFi Calling from one access point to another on the same WiFi network has been found to be heavily dependent on both the WiFi hardware being used and the network configuration, hence we would not recommend WiFi calling as a large office coverage solution. Some points to consider that may improve inter-ap handover however include: All access points should use the same SSID. All access points should be on the same layer 2 network so devices can retain their IP addresses moving from one AP to another, keeping the IPSec tunnel up. WiFi controller settings should be set to allow VoIP mobility by enabling fast roaming. Bandwidth Whilst bandwidth requirements are small at about 60kbps uplink and downlink per call, the capacity of a WiFi network and any impact to it from multiple calls may be heavily hardware dependant. We d advise you to seek the support of your WiFi and network provider if bandwidth or capacity are a concern. Security WiFi Calling uses the public internet to connect your call from the WiFi access point back to our core network gateway. Over the internet, calls and SMS are secured using an IPSec tunnel Page 6

7 with 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption. Our network gateways also undergo regular network penetration testing to ensure the security of the WiFi Calling service. Emergency Calls When using WiFi Calling, users will be able to call the emergency services (on 999) in the UK but the emergency services will not be able to identify the caller s location. Users should therefore keep a fixed line phone to use for calls to emergency services and use WiFi Calling for a 999 call only as an absolute last resort. Billing WiFi Calls and SMS are billed at your standard talkplan rate. Unlike VoIP calls, WiFi calling uses the internet only to connect from an area of no coverage back to the EE network, which carries your call onwards as normal. On your bill, WiFi Calls and SMS will be itemised but it will not show that the call was initiated on WiFi Calling. A 4GEE plan is required to use WiFi Calling (as the service is built on the 4G core network), but there is no use of your EE data allowance when making WiFi calls. If you connect to a limited data broadband or public WiFi provider who charges data per MB, you may get charged by that provider for the WiFi data use. Differences to 2G/3G Calls There are a few WiFi Calling behaviours where the experience differs to what you may be used to on 2G or 3G calls. Firstly, there may be occasions where you hear the international dialling tone when both call parties are using WiFi Calling. Secondly, when a call is put on hold, the person on hold won t hear the hold beeps. There will just be silence. On the iphones, if there is no underlying 3G coverage when using WiFi Calling, Visual Voic and MMS picture messaging cannot be sent or received until you return to outside network coverage (SMS and imessage is unaffected). You ll still be prompted that you have a voic , and will be able to access it through the standard voic service by dialling 123. The Samsung devices are also known to have problems running multi-party calls when connected to WiFi Calling. We re working to bring all these behaviours into line with our standard 2G and 3G voice services, but it shouldn t affect the quality of your service. Support If the help above does not resolve an issue with WiFi Calling, please call the EE Customer Team on 158 from your EE phone (or from a landline). To upgrade your device or plan to get WiFi Calling, please contact your account manager, or new customers can call us on Or visit for more information such as the latest compatible devices. Page 7

8 Appendix: Device setup and software versions Checking device compatibility The iphone should be running ios 8.3 or later, and the Carrier file must be version 20.1 (or later). Click here for more details on how to check the version or update software. The device must be running an EE specific firmware version. To check this, type *#1234# from the phone screen and ensure the letters EVR appear in the CSC line displayed. Galaxy S5: You may need to update the device s firmware. Go to Settings > About Device > Software Updates, then click on Update now. Enabling WiFi Calling iphone 5c, 5s, 6, 6 Plus, 6s and 6s Plus: Go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calls on your phone and toggle on the Allow Wi-Fi Calls setting. If you re connected to WiFi, the device will say EE WiFiCall at the top of your screen to indicate that the WiFi Calling service is active. Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+: Tap Settings from the dropdown menu. Scroll down to the Application icon and tap. Tap Phone, then scroll down until you see WiFi Calling and tap the box next to it. Galaxy S5: Tap Settings from the dropdown menu. Scroll down to the Call icon and tap. Scroll down until you see WiFi Calling and then tap the box next to it. The icon incicates that WiFi Calling is active. The device must be running an EE specific firmware version. To check this, go to Settings > About and ensure your firmware revision number is: Lumia 640: Lumia 640 XL: or Lumia 640, 640XL: Swipe left from the Home Screen and tap settings. Tap mobile + SIM. Tap SIM settings. WiFi Calling defaults as off. Slide the toggle to the right to turn on. The icon indicates that WiFi Calling is active. The device must be running an EE specific firmware version. You may also need to update the device s firmware. Go to Settings > About Device > Software Updates, then click on Update now. Once the software installation has completed, your software version should be: One M9: One M9: Tap the Phone icon to open the phone dialler. At the top right there 3 dots, click to open the menu. Scroll down to WiFi Calling and tap the box next to it. The icon indicates that WiFi Calling is active. Page 8