TalkTalk has launched Talk2Go, a WiFi calling app that lets you send and receive calls when connected to a wireless hotspot or 3G.
Available on iOS and Android, Talk2Go is a free service that’s available to TalkTalk broadband customers.
It’s designed to help customers who’ve got poor mobile reception in their homes. Voice calls are send over your broadband connection via WiFi instead of over the mobile network, meaning your wireless router effectively doubles as a mini mobile mast in your home.
As key difference between this and similar services is that Talk2Go lets you receive calls as well as make them. Virgin Media’s SmartCall currently only lets you make calls when connected to WiFi.
Like SmartCall, Talk2Go deducts minutes from your TalkTalk home phone plan instead of your mobile plan. This means if you’ve got an unlimited Anytime call plan, you don’t have to eat into your monthly mobile allowance or pay as you go credit if you’re using Talk2Go. Calls made between Talk2Go users are also free and don’t come out of any allowance.
It works in the exact same way as the Talk2Go app that was launched by TalkTalk Business last month.
When you set up Talk2Go on a phone, you’ll need to enter your TalkTalk account details. Up to 4 devices can be registered under one account.
One drawback is weak WiFi signal. If the signal in your house isn’t good enough to support Talk2Go then you simply won’t be able to use the app. Likewise if you move into a room where the signal isn’t strong enough once you’ve begun a call, the call will stop. Make sure you’ve positioned your router in a sensible place in the house and you’ve done everything to boost your broadband connection.
If your WiFi signal isn’t up to it and, your router is on the blink or there’s a problem with the network then you can still use Talk2Go to make calls over 3G or 4G. This will then eat into your monthly data plan, which kind of defeats the main purpose of the app, but still useful in a pinch if you’re out of mobile minutes.
Leading UK mobile network and fifth biggest ISP EE is currently trialling Voice over WiFi and 4G voice calls, which work on the same principle. The difference is that this won’t require customers to sign into an app. When you’re connected to a wireless network or 4G, Voice over WiFi and 4G voice calls will work automatically, just as if you were making a regular call.
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