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Signals Research: VoLTE HD Voice Surpasses 3G CS and Skype Call Quality, Extends Battery Life

Signals Research: VoLTE HD Voice Surpasses 3G CS and Skype Call Quality, Extends Battery Life

A study by Signals Research Group (SRG) concluded that the Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) service provides better voice quality than the 3G Circuit Switched (CS) voice and Skype. The independent research commissioned by Alcatel Lucent to evaluate the performance of VoLTE against 3G CS voice and Skype where Alcatel-Lucent provides the radio access network, the core network and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem), also found that the VoLTE service connects faster and consumes less network resources and device battery power.

In another story, Vodafone’s Head of Core Network, Ed Cowmeadow said in a blog post: “4G today only supports data, so when you make a call your phone connects via 3G or 2G by default. So Voice over 4G is us being able to carry voice traffic over our data network, rather than the radio network that normally carries them." VoLTE enables simultanous use of HD quality calls while browsing the Web, streaming movies, playing games and sharing multi-media content at LTE speeds. 

Signals Research's report, “Behind the VoLTE Curtain Part 1: Quantifying the Performance of a Commercial VoLTE Deployment"highlights that the VoLTE call quality greatly exceeded that of 3G CS voice and was higher than the Skype HD voice service. In addition, VoLTE call setup time was nearly twice as fast as 3G Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) call setup

According to Alcatel, the tests were conducted for everyday conditions, including stationary and mobile locations, strong and weak radio coverage, and under a variety of network loading and multi-tasking conditions.

"Based on our analysis of the data, VoLTE lived up to expectations. VoLTE delivered a consistently higher call quality than Circuit Switched voice and Over-the-Top (OTT) applications. While other network or background traffic downloading on a smartphone could bring Skype voice to its knees, there was no indication that it impacted the VoLTE call.  In addition, VoLTE really shined when it came to its network requirements, consuming far less than a Skype voice call which translates into a meaningfully longer smartphone battery life.”

-      Michael Thelander, CEO and Founder of Signals Research Group (SRG)

“VoLTE is a key element of the IP communication revolution that will bring both consumers and businesses dramatic improvements in their communications experience and provide exciting new ways of sharing and interacting with family, friends, co-workers and the environment around them. VoLTE enables service providers to more easily and efficiently introduce these services and consolidate their networks. They can refarm their 3G spectrum to their LTE network to deliver a superior service and even more enhanced and personalized ultra broadband experiences.”

-         Fran Heeran, General Manager of Alcatel-Lucent’s IMS Business

Author

Ray is a news editor at The Fast Mode, bringing with him more than 10 years of experience in the wireless industry.

For tips and feedback, email Ray at ray.sharma(at)thefastmode.com, or reach him on LinkedIn @raysharma10, Facebook @1RaySharma

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