You’ve probably heard of VoLTE by now. T-Mobile is rolling it out in Seattle, while AT&T (News - Alert) has begun rolling out in select areas in a number of states including Illinois and Minnesota. So what is it? VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE.
LTE (News - Alert) is of course long-term evolution and has been commonly used for years on networks like 3G and 4G to wirelessly send data. However, LTE has never been used effectively to send voice messages until now. While your data could be delivered swiftly, your phone calls would lag behind but that’s starting to change with VoLTE.
Previously, LTE networks couldn’t handle voice and data at the same time because voice calls must travel on their own dedicated circuit switching technology. VoLTE brings voice and data onto the same channel, meaning the user has the ability, for example, to receive emails with no issues while talking with someone on the phone.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of VoLTE though is its effects on call quality. When lines are clear between users of VoIP solutions like Skype (News - Alert), users can hear a beautifully clean and clear voice on the other end and that will now be possible thanks to VoLTE.
The major hurdle for many users is the device you use. Much like 5G’s arrival, if your device isn’t compatible then VoLTE will not be of much use to you. Many of Samsung (News - Alert) and LG’s latest devices are compatible but rest assured that as we move forward with mobile technology, VoLTE will eventually be a standard function.
Tech analysts expect VoLTE to become much more nuanced as the service is rolled out to a wider audience, making video calls on your smartphone much more seamless as well as functions like real-time language translation, which Skype has already announced, on the horizon.
Edited by Maurice Nagle