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Eir is expanding its services, with 4G calling becoming available on selected mobile plans.
Eir is introducing 4G calling for mobile customers in Ireland. The voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) service means that Eir customers will be able to start a call over Wi-Fi – in their homes or at work, for example – and then move that call outside onto the Eir mobile network.
Eir first introduced Wi-Fi calling in 2017 and said that 4G calling is the “next step” in the evolution of this service.
Guillaume Duhaze, chief technology officer at Eir, said that voice communication has grown in importance “due to new ways of working and living” in the pandemic.
“4G calling will deliver real and instant improvements for customers, including noticeably sharper calls,” he said. “And as this technology does not require the installation of apps, it is easy to use.
“Once 4G calling is enabled on a device it will automatically select 4G calling when the customer connects to Eir’s 4G network. We are delighted to bring this service to Eir’s mobile customers and we are proud to help people stay connected.”
Eir said that 4G calling will provide call connections at twice the speed of 3G calls and six times faster than 2G calls, as well as improved call quality. During a 4G call, users can also send emails, browse the internet and watch videos without disruption using their mobile data.
The company said 4G calling is now available on selected Eir mobile plans and on a range of Samsung and Oppo devices, and that it can be manually activated on Apple devices with iOS 13 or later.
Vodafone introduced 4G calling on its Irish network in 2019. At the time, Vodafone Ireland’s head of networks, Max Gasparroni, told Siliconrepublic.com that the service offered a number of advantages.
“If you are using data on the phone, the incoming call won’t interrupt the data experience,” he said. “2G and 3G are still HD calls, but with 4G going forward you are going to see an increase in quality and there are more innovations coming down the track.
“When you make a call over 4G, it means your call is a call over mobile data and it is integrated into the phone, and if you go outside a 4G area it goes seamlessly to 3G.”
