Verizon has been very open about its pursuit of Voice of LTE (VoLTE) as a high-tech replacement for traditional circuit-switched voice, competing test calls way back in early 2011 using the LG Revolution. At that time, the company had said that the service would be commercially available in 2012 — and that very well might still be true: an analyst with Northland Capital Markets is claiming that the company already has two trial VoLTE markets turned on, with a national rollout planned for 2013. As Light Reading notes, that doesn't necessarily preclude an initial commercial rollout this year since Verizon would probably be looking to deploy the service market by market, and 2013 nationwide availability lines up with the carrier's plans to overlay its entire 3G network with LTE next year.
The technology is important to the industry for a number of reasons, chiefly the fact that LTE is an entirely IP-based technology — in other words, there is no way to deploy legacy calling services on LTE without falling back to CDMA or GSM, so only by using VoLTE will carriers ultimately be able to eliminate 2G and 3G networks and refarm spectrum. That's not something that'll happen any time soon, but it'll eventually have to happen nonetheless.
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does this mean that you could theoretically cancel your voice plan and go with a data-only plan? Also, what happens when you’re not covered by LTE? Right now my phone makes phone calls when I’m on 1X but what will happen when it’s VoLTE
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 3:19 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
As of right now, all phone calls are made using the 2G network. This is a move to instead use 4G for the voice calls. I doubt VZW will let you go data-only any time in the near future. Their goal is to eventually get rid of the 2G network.
Hopefully when this really goes live, 4G will cover nearly every spot where 2G does, so you won’t even know the difference. Part of the advantage of using their newly acquired 700 MHz spectrum is that the signal should penetrate buildings better. That’s where I most frequently find myself without 3G.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 3:45 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
You’re partially right. In fact you can get a data only plan right now on the Thunderbolt. It’s 5GB’s and $50 a month and you can use voice over data on it. They don’t advertise it, but it’s available.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 8:13 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
FYI, that’s how it USED to be, now it’s much worse: http://aboutus.verizonwireless.com/accessibility/nationwidemessaging.html
First it was unlimited for $55, then it was 5GB for $55, now it’s 2GB for $55. You are correct though, you can get into those plans if you push hard enough. It’s easiest to just know someone behind the counter. They are not advertised and were originally labeled “accessible” plans designed for the deaf, for which a voice plan makes no sense at all. Either way it’s complete rape.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 4:09 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Too bad I still have trouble getting signal inside of the buildings at my school in Austin (ACC). I have absolutely zero service, while people on t-mobile have at least two bars. I don’t use it in class, therefore it is unnecessary to comment about “I should be learning” or something.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 1:52 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
It’s obviously different by location. I have the exact opposite here at work in Seattle. AT&T and T-Mobile go useless while my Verizon LTE has a 10mbps connection (EVDO doesn’t work either).
…but from purely technical perspective, atinsley is correct, the lower frequency should penetrate buildings better and travel further in general. Verizon locking up the 700 block was really a big deal.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 4:21 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Of course US wireless carriers will charge your accounts minutes if all all the calls are handled over their data network.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 4:51 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
I’m on a data only plan right now, all my calls go in/out through a SIP client. It has compromises, but I use the voice end of my phone so irregularly that it’s been fine for me.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 12:18 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
How come they are only trailing voice over LTE?
When 3G launched here in the UK the carriers made a lot of noise about video calling over 3G and that seems to have all but disappeared? Are we going backwards to go forwards?
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 3:28 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Indeed you can make calls over WCDMA in addition to EDGE/ GSM. The problem is that the WCDMA network is really flooded with traffic, while the EDGE/ GSM network isn’t, so the 2G network is more reliable for voice. They don’t really have anything to do with the spectrum left over from the 2G network, so they keep it around to keep a good amount of load off of the WCDMA network.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 9:25 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Hmm not quite. The 2G spectrum is re-farmed for use in 3C and 4C deployment for UMTS. Most GSM dual band cells have been moved to Common BCCH framework along with reduction of hopping channels.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 3:54 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Sprint needs VoLTE on ther EVO-LTE :)
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 7:17 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Of course they’re going to eventually have to go down this route, but I hope for all of their users’ sakes that they wait for LTE power consumption to drop before they start prioritizing VoLTE over CDMA2000 for calls.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 9:57 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Will the call quality of VoLTE be better? I’m talking crystal clear. Like in my office when I voice call somebody through Office Communicator it sounds like they are sitting next to me.
Someday we’ll look back at the grainy call quality that we have today and laugh.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 10:51 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
I realize that many people complain about the battery depletion when using LTE but I’m not so sure that it is all that bad. In regular use, my Galaxy Nexus certainly last anywhere from 10-15 hours on the standard batteries, while connected to a good LTE 4G signal. That’s about the same as my Galaxy S II on T-Mobile connected to their 4G HSPA+ was managing.
Were the connection to 2g/3G no longer necessary, only there to be used as a fallback option, I’m sure that LTE battery life would be better than it is now.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 12:46 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Does anyone know if existing phones/chipsets will be able to use VoLTE, or if existing devices will continue to operate voice connections over CDMA after the VoLTE rollout happens?
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 3:15 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
I think the initial trial was done using an LG Revolution…so that makes me think that existing 4G hardware is more than capable. I’d guess that a software update would be required though.
My hope would be that once this works, all of the 3G/2G radios can be turned off to save battery, leaving only the 4G radios online.
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 4:22 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Which markets?
Posted on Jan 20, 2012 | 5:35 PM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
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