VoLTE/VoWifi on Windows 10 Mobile Devices

@Talmage69

windows phones account for less than 1% of all phones sold in the first quarter of 2016 what incentives do the carriers have to support a os that is about to die?  Blackberry is in the same boat so they went to using android. 

http://bgr.com/2016/05/23/smartphone-market-share-q1-2016/

You cant bring a android phone to att and get those features either.  It has to be ATT branded.

The ATT 950 and 640XL do get HDvoice just so you know

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@ODad wrote:
Microsoft can ask AT&T to support their unbranded device. In the end it is up to AT&T. Currently AT&T says no to all unbranded devices except Apple. It may be years before we see AT&T change their "mind" concerning unbranded devices. This isn't about market share, makes no sense bringing that up. Samsung has more market share than anyone and those devices face the sane problem.

And don't think that going to another carrier solves the problem. Even if you could find that T-Mobile gives you all the service coverage you need, certain features for unbranded phones you'll miss. Right now the carriers have us consumers in their pockets. There is no way the market can easily correct this; as it would take to long for a new carrier to enter the market.

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@ODad

now you dont think market share will play into if android gets wifi calling first?  Here in the us android has 50% if the market share and apple has about 47%.  Samsung in the world has more market share but not in the USA apple is king and will be for years to come I hate to say.  Even if a new carrier came to market there going to look at what sells and what does not sell.  For windows prepaid is where there money is right now.  Numbers will always play into what gets what in the mobile world.  ROI is the game.

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@GLIMMERMAN76 wrote:

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@ODad wrote:
Microsoft can ask AT&T to support their unbranded device. In the end it is up to AT&T. Currently AT&T says no to all unbranded devices except Apple. It may be years before we see AT&T change their "mind" concerning unbranded devices. This isn't about market share, makes no sense bringing that up. Samsung has more market share than anyone and those devices face the sane problem.

And don't think that going to another carrier solves the problem. Even if you could find that T-Mobile gives you all the service coverage you need, certain features for unbranded phones you'll miss. Right now the carriers have us consumers in their pockets. There is no way the market can easily correct this; as it would take to long for a new carrier to enter the market.

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@ODad

 

now you dont think market share will play into if android gets wifi calling first?  Here in the us android has 50% if the market share and apple has about 47%.  Samsung in the world has more market share but not in the USA apple is king and will be for years to come I hate to say.  Even if a new carrier came to market there going to look at what sells and what does not sell.  For windows prepaid is where there money is right now.  Numbers will always play into what gets what in the mobile world.  ROI is the game.

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I don't see how not providing WiFi calling/texting improves their ROI though, maybe I'm just missing something?

In particular, I don't see how AT&T loses, except that maybe they sell less phones?  Given the more lenient unlock policy and such though, plus payments option, I don't see that really changing too much.

It seems like they would have a lot to gain, they'd make a lot of (particularly the tech-y, vocal crowd, and trade rags, etc) people happy, and it would seem like it would offload their towers too, seems like mostly a win?

TMobile is starting to allow WiFi call/text on un-branded Android phones, a few anyway; I think they are going to open it up much broader, over the next year.

Arguably they're more motivated though, they have less actual "coverage" than the other two, and this broadens that, more or less for free, or close.

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@pgrey wrote:

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@GLIMMERMAN76 wrote:

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@ODad wrote:
Microsoft can ask AT&T to support their unbranded device. In the end it is up to AT&T. Currently AT&T says no to all unbranded devices except Apple. It may be years before we see AT&T change their "mind" concerning unbranded devices. This isn't about market share, makes no sense bringing that up. Samsung has more market share than anyone and those devices face the sane problem.

And don't think that going to another carrier solves the problem. Even if you could find that T-Mobile gives you all the service coverage you need, certain features for unbranded phones you'll miss. Right now the carriers have us consumers in their pockets. There is no way the market can easily correct this; as it would take to long for a new carrier to enter the market.

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@ODad

 

now you dont think market share will play into if android gets wifi calling first?  Here in the us android has 50% if the market share and apple has about 47%.  Samsung in the world has more market share but not in the USA apple is king and will be for years to come I hate to say.  Even if a new carrier came to market there going to look at what sells and what does not sell.  For windows prepaid is where there money is right now.  Numbers will always play into what gets what in the mobile world.  ROI is the game.

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I don't see how not providing WiFi calling/texting improves their ROI though, maybe I'm just missing something?

In particular, I don't see how AT&T loses, except that maybe they sell less phones?  Given the more lenient unlock policy and such though, plus payments option, I don't see that really changing too much.

It seems like they would have a lot to gain, they'd make a lot of (particularly the tech-y, vocal crowd, and trade rags, etc) people happy, and it would seem like it would offload their towers too, seems like mostly a win?

 

TMobile is starting to allow WiFi call/text on un-branded Android phones, a few anyway; I think they are going to open it up much broader, over the next year.

Arguably they're more motivated though, they have less actual "coverage" than the other two, and this broadens that, more or less for free, or close.

 

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@pgrey

lets see att has about 140 million customers about 88% had smart phones.  IF you go by the us average phone stats.  ATT has 3.3 million windows phones on the network.  That is using 2.7% of the market share microsoft has.  That leaves 120million to be split by apple and android with a little BB in there.  Where is the ROI on working on windows phones since over 70% of that 3.3 million is on go phone which does not get advance LTE services anyway?  I would say once all android phones get wifi calling then they will move into windows phones.  They have not even mentioned wifi calling for windows in all the info I have seen and recieved.

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@Talmage69 wrote:
I do see the metrics driving the decisions. I would hope that Microsoft could apply some additional incentives to help. The work to enable those features on unlocked iPhone was certainly done cooperatively with Apple. I also agree that wifi calling is one strategy for improving coverage and offloading congestion. Essentially it moves the whole "microcell" paradigm into the phone itself. Back in the day AT&T was giving those $200.00 devices away because it helped their customers have better service. After experiencing the call quality improvement using HD Voice, and services over WiFi, I can certainly say it is better service, and a feature set worth pursuing. The capabilities are present It's a matter of configuration and implementation...

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@Talmage69

see im the exact oposite I have Enhanced LTE services turned off because the hand off from a LTE call to a hspa call sucks.  I live in a area that they are still upgrading towers so some days I only get a hspa signal in areas if I'm on a Volte call and bars get low the call gets all garbled because the phone is try so hard to keep that LTE signal.

The only proper Volte solution I have used that worked like it should was Googles project Fi.

My guess is fewer and fewer people are paying full retail for a phone with AT&T.

By witholding these features from those that bring their own device they are hoping to change this trend.

Of course these devices can be made to work with AT&T's implementation of HD voice.

They just think you will change your mind and buy your next phone at full retail.

In my opinion the benefits of bringing your own device far outweigh the benefits of a half cooked HD voice implementation.