I hear the frustration about WIFI calling feature and I have a similiar issue - in my case, my plan does not include data, and they will not provide WIFI calling if you don't have data - go figure.
My own view about this refusal to support non-branded "grey market phones", goes against the CRTC's principle of why they forced unlocked phones - to allow for ease of mobility and choice between companies.
I think that people in this position need to start to push this up to the CRTC as a deliberately round about method to keep restrictions on where you buy your phones now that locking is not available.
Just my opinion.
I look at it and if you consider that not that many years ago, you could get the blackberry build for any company off the Blackberry site as they controlled the development of the company feature set to ensure it did not conflict with their security.
I see no technical reason why Rogers cannot provide a Rogers build to install on your phone, they provide the APN settings and so forth so that you can call and MMS etc, why not provide the build they install on their phones, and then activate the IMEI for your phone in their system.
I can see them charging a reasonable charge to do this, and if unreasonable, the CRTC would probably restrict it anyway, so make the builds available, and let's stop with the excuse that they can't support it because it is not configured for their network - that was the argument for years as to why they had to lock the phones, and then why they had to lock it for 90 days - so you could enjoy the full feature set before considering other companies.
I may be wrong on this, I don't work in their technical department, but like I said, it is not that many years ago that if you needed to get the replacement build to reinstall the current Rogers build of a blackberry build, you could get it from Rogers, or you could go right to the Blackberry site for the build that matches your provider.
Call it for what it is, they are restricting a feature unless you buy their phone and providing no solution, such as add IMEI to the network and provide the software load to add the Rogers configuration.
Someone who knows more technology on this issue can correct me, but I just see it as one more of many strategies that all companies have prevented us from freeing our phones to use on other companies networks, whether it be locking, getting into exclusive agreements to be the first to put out Android Rich Text features and so forth, along with the locking/unlocking, contracts, subsidized phones, etc. All are used to discourage us from buying a phone from somewhere else, or being able to walk away to go to another company. The outcomes kind of speak for themselves.
You want our full feature set on your phone, buy the phone from us (even though the phone fully supports the feature set, it is just that configuration on the network and the phone has to be done at a deeper level to authorize it and make it work on the network). You want to lose our features, and not be able to get the features the competitor offers, then leave us - they all do it.
For now, the important thing is to know that every company restricts some options on their network if you have an unbranded phone, so yes, do unlock your phone, but when buying an unlocked phone and hoping to take it to your phone company, be aware that you may run into restrictions and do your homework. If you really want the feature of WIFI - calling, then if you want it on Rogers network, you have to have a Rogers phone (we are trapped ;on that one for now), or the alternative is to look at the other WIFI calling apps and tools that are out there - it won't be your phone number on Rogers, but you will still be able to make phone calls.
I have a free Canada wide phone number and app that I use when I go to the hospital and need to make a call because Rogers signals can't get into the hospital building, but if you had Telus you could, so I fire up my WIFI and make the call on Phonego.
Yes, it stinks, but keep speaking up, pushing concerns upwards, and contacting CCTC and CRTC - I see it is just another work around the Wireless Code - they have chopped away at the 30 days notice, locking, making clear cancellation fees and subsidies pay backs, etc, this is just one more.
Bruce
Bruce
