Nokia Siemens Networks announced the successful completion of voice calls and SMS text messaging over LTE using commercial, 3GPP-standardized user and network equipment. The test, which were carried out by researchers at the company’s R&D centers in Germany and Finland, were meant to demonstrate the viability of the One Voice approach to voice over LTE (VoLTE).
The call conducted by Nokia Siemens Networks used a configuration of commercially ready LTE equipment fully 3GPP-compliant from end to end. The call was made from a laptop equipped with the Nokia Siemens Networks Communication Suite “softphone” application and an LG Electronics LTE USB Datacard. The network used for the call included commercial versions of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi Multiradio Base Station with 3GPP-compliant software, Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and Fast Track VoLTE solutions.
The EPC provides data connectivity for LTE networks, while the Nokia Siemens Networks Fast Track VoLTE solution provides fully 3GPP-standardized IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) functionality to handle call control for mobile voice traffic in LTE networks. Fast Track VoLTE is fully aligned with the One Voice initiative recently announced by Nokia Siemens Networks and other industry stakeholders.
Apart from fast data transmission rates, NSN said LTE also has important benefits for voice service as it offers the highest spectral efficiency for voice. Also, the delivery of voice over LTE networks means operators will in the future be able to provide all services over the same all-IP network, driving down the expense of operating parallel legacy and LTE networks.
As a next step, Nokia Siemens Networks plans to conduct VoLTE test calls with a fully implemented IMS system. In a separate related development, Nokia Siemens Networks recently conducted a voice call using TD-LTE equipment in Hangzhou, China.
http://www.nsn.com
