According to GSA (Global Mobile Suppliers Association) report, HD voice service has been commercially launched by 109 mobile operators in 73 countries. In 2014, 17 operators introduced HD voice service and the number of mobile operators offering HD voice is over 36 percent higher than a year ago.
HD voice service is now commercially available on 100 HSPA networks, 8 LTE networks (using VoLTE), and 9 GSM networks (some operators offer HD voice on more than one radio access technology platform). Seven mobile network operators commercially launched HD voice during last month and of this four of them uses VoLTE.
HD voice service is commercially launched in Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway,
Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Réunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, UK, Ukraine and USA.
Around 22 countries have at least two mobile HD voice operators wheras Orange has commercially launched HD voice on mobile networks in 20 countries, with almost 12 million subscribers using the service.
So, the big question is why HD voice is gaining traction worldwide?
First, the availability of LTE smartphones supporting VoLTE has also significantly improved and this has helped in deployment of HD Voice by operators as network coverage has improved (increasingly nationwide), the penetration and usage of LTE smartphones has increased, to ensure efficient handling of all network traffic types, and to deliver the best user experience of voice service.
Presently, more than 60 operators globally are currently investing in VoLTE technology through studies, trials, and various stages of network deployments. 8 LTE operators in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and the USA have commercially launched wideband HD voice service using VoLTE technology, and several additional commercial launches are imminent, including in Japan.
HD voice is ideal for conference calls and can contribute to a reduction in business travel and raise productivity while reducing environmental impact. Calls which are easier to hear and understand reduce the fatigue often associated with long conference calls. HD voice represents the greatest advance in voice on mobile networks in decades.
Second, GSA’s research confirmed 329 HD voice phones announced by 19 manufacturers. Most HD voice devices operate on 3G/HSPA networks, with some working on GSM networks and now several on LTE networks. LTE systems are all-IP, optimized for data transfer. LTE does not include any circuit switched capability as used on previous technologies for voice and SMS services.
Since voice and SMS generate in the region of 60-70 percent of operator revenues globally, voice service is needed on LTE networks and is a priority for many LTE operators as network coverage improved (increasingly nationwide) and as penetration and usage of LTE smartphones increased.
In the first phase of voice evolution, voice calls are handled in a circuit switched network by using CSFB (circuit switched fall back). The LTE data connection “falls back” to a legacy 2G/3G voice network connection prior to initiation of a voice call. This solution is favoured by many LTE operators initially, with VoLTE being the eventual goal.
However, some LTE operators will launch voice service by going directly to VoLTE in one step. With the VoLTE solution (GSMA specification VoLTE IR.92, based on 3GPP standards), subscribers can use HD voice and other richer communication services using LTE smartphones.
VoLTE aims to provide a voice service that is at least as reliable as on current cellular systems, over an all-IP network in a shared resource environment. An operator needs an IMS (IP Multimedia System) core network and the LTE radio access network and Evolved Packet Core must also support VoLTE, which is usually achieved by software upgrade.
Interconnection between competing networks for end-to-end HD voice calling is a priority in 2014. More progress is also expected in 2014 on handling international HD voice calls, and for HD voice calling between fixed and mobile networks. HD Voice will gain more popularity when operators overcome these challenges.
The post Why HD voice is gaining traction? appeared first on TeleAnalysis.