Finally, we have the second Indian telecom operator to bring in the Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) in India after Reliance Jio. India’s biggest telecom operator Airtel has rolled out 4G VoLTE service in India. Airtel subscribers in Mumbai telecom circle will be the first to get the taste of the service. Both Prepaid and Postpaid mobile subscribers having Airtel 4G SIM and 4G VoLTE supported smartphone can avail the VoLTE service.
Airtel VoLTE will be offered to customers at no additional cost. If you are with Airtel and have a 4G VoLTE support smartphone then you will probably see the Airtel VoLTE already active on your phone. You will be able to make high definition (HD) quality voice calls and video calls. You will be able to call both mobile and landline numbers across India using Airtel VoLTE. Charges for Airtel VoLTE calls will be the same as per your existing plan or pack benefits.
Coming to Airtel VoLTE features, it will offer faster call connection. Which is almost three times faster than normal calls. You will be able to use 4G internet connection at the same time you are making a VoLTE base calls. The best part, in the case of non-availability of Airtel 4G network, VoLTE calls will be automatically fall back to Airtel’s 3G or 2G network. This will ensure your voice calls stay connected always at any network condition. That’s one of the biggest plus point of Airtel against Reliance Jio, who don’t have a fallback mechanism to 3G or 2G network and VoLTE calls usually gets disconnected.
Airtel VoLTE service features
- VoLTE offers HD voice calls and video calls.
- Faster call setup time.
- Un-interrupted high-speed 4G internet usage while making VoLTE calls.
- VoLTE charges will be the same as per your existing plan or pack benefits.
- Airtel has used 4G Advanced Carrier Aggregation technology for the VoLTe roll out in Mumbai combining 2300 Mhz (TD LTE) and 1800 Mhz (FD LTE).
- To identify if you are using Airtel VoLTE service, on android devices you will see “HD/VoLTE” icon on the top right bar of the screen. For iOS device, you can verify VoLTE-readiness through the settings under mobile data.
How to activate Airtel VoLTE services
- You need to first verify your smartphone is compatible with Airtel VoLTE services. Currently, only a few smartphone models support Airtel VoLTE. But, mobile vendors are already pushing an update to activate the Airtel VoLTE on their devices.
- Ensure you have Airtel 4G SIM (you can upgrade to Airtel 4G SIM by visiting the nearest Airtel store). For dual SIM mobiles, the Airtel SIM should be inserted in the SIM slot with 4G data capability.
- Verify that the VoLTE voice calling feature has been enabled on your smartphone under your mobiles network settings.
- Once everything in place, you will see the Airtel VoLTE enabled on your device.
Airtel plans to roll out VoLTE service across the country over the next few months. Currently, a few smartphones support 4G VoLTE. This includes popular smartphones like Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, Samsung J7, Samsung J2, Samsung A8, Xiaomi Mi Max, Mi 5, Redmi Note 4, Gionee A1 and Oppo F3. More smartphones will soon support Airtel VoLTE, as many mobile vendors are rolling out an update for the same.