According to local press reports, Ooredoo Maldives, part of international communications company, Ooredoo, whose operations span the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, has launched a voice-over-Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) service called Wi-Fi Calling.
As in other regions, VoWiFi allows users to make or receive calls over a Wi-Fi network in locations where mobile network coverage is unavailable or inadequate, and also when their phone is in flight mode.
That said, users require a handset supporting VoWiFi, an Ooredoo 4G LTE SIM, and VoLTE service activated. Currently, only Huawei and iPhones support the Wi-Fi Calling service. Ooredoo has been reported as saying that iPhone users will need to have iOS version 13.2 or above installed on the phone, while Huawei users will require the latest Android update.
The Ooredoo Maldives LTE network was introduced in 2013 and upgraded to LTE-A in 2016. Voice over LTE (VoLTE) was introduced earlier this year.
Wi-Fi Calling is said to be a first in the Maldives; it is available for Ooredoo customers at no additional cost. The Oooredo Madives network covers all 199 inhabited or resort islands in the Maldives (out of an estimated 1,200 islands), which lies south-west of the Indian sub-continent. The country’s population is around 324,000.
