Digital technologies are constantly evolving, portable gadgets are constantly being improved, and their capabilities are increasing disproportionately, which allows you to comfortably use smartphones and tablets without any difficulties. However, many consumers want to get high-speed wireless connection in cellular networks. To do this, not so long ago, such a communication standard as LTE was introduced to the Russian market. A large number of global manufacturers have begun to actively produce their own devices with an additional LTE option, thereby expanding the technical characteristics of the device.
If you want to make phone calls to other city networks, then you will have to make a 3G connection to establish a voice connection. An alternative solution to a common problem is 4g volte technology, which is gradually gaining popularity among numerous consumers.
VoLTE is a state-of-the-art technology based on the transmission of voice over LTE networks. The name is interpreted as Voice over LTE, and the most accurate translation is “voice over LTE”. Now you will have a great opportunity to make the usual phone calls, but at the same time, there is no need to switch communication technologies. Now developers are actively developing their offspring and improving it so that the technology brings a lot of benefits to absolutely all owners of various gadgets. Some popular operators have already implemented VoLTE in Russia, due to which voice communication has become better and has many advantages, which we will discuss below.
Distinguishing Benefits
VoLTE technology is becoming more and more popular every day due to its merits. If you have not yet used this option for its intended purpose or have not had time to purchase a smartphone that supports this communication standard, then we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the list of advantages of the above solution. The list of positives consists of the following items:
- voice quality has improved markedly - the main disadvantage of second and third generation networks is the limitation of the audio data transfer rate, whose figure usually does not exceed 16 Kbps, this is not enough to consider voice transmission to be of high quality; therefore, VoLTE was created, giving volume to any voice by reducing noise;
- simultaneous voice and data transmission - 3G and GSM are not capable of transmitting data at the moment when you call someone; if a call comes from another subscriber, then the working Internet connection is instantly "frozen" until the end of the telephone conversation; thanks to the considered option, the usual restrictions and load on the network can be avoided, leaving the quality of communication at a high level;
- increased capacity of cellular networks - the total number of subscribers simultaneously communicating with a certain base station is no longer limited, but, on the contrary, increased by 3 times;
- connection speed does not decrease and always remains high - when a call is made, a dial-up connection is established by switching the device to 3G and GSM, which leads to a 20-second delay; VoLTE does not involve the use of switching communications, so you will be very surprised when you find out how fast the connection is;
- make free calls - the voice is transmitted through a special packet data transmission system; when a phone call is made, only Internet traffic is consumed; this means that the subscriber will be provided with free calls, but on the condition that he has unlimited Internet connected and the selected telecom operator supports VoLTE.
Main disadvantages
The VoLTE protocol is not quite perfect, as it may seem at first glance, because it has minor flaws that you should be aware of in advance before connecting. First of all, I would like to note the increased load on the smartphone. For this reason, not all manufacturers add this option to the characteristics of their devices. In order to reduce the expected load, additional work must be done to implement the protocol at the chipset level, and this requires impressive effort and money.
In most cases, VoLTE is found in Apple products, flagship models from Samsung, for example, also did not stand aside. If you want to purchase a smartphone with the presented technology from Chinese manufacturers, then before buying you need to clarify this issue so as not to be disappointed later.
To date, not all telecom operators are connected to VoLTE - this is also a significant drawback, because the high quality of communication is achieved only if this condition is met. One can hope for the optimal functioning of this technology if all operators decide to implement it, but so far this has not happened.
You may be interested in our article on determining the location of the subscriber -
VoLTE and carriers
The Megafon company has already introduced a new service called "Call 4G", which provides HD voice over VoLTE or 4G networks. Thus, multitasking is ensured, data transfer does not stop during a telephone conversation. This means that during a call, the smartphone owner can surf the Internet and search for the necessary information on third-party websites. At the moment, Megafon and Beeline provide access to this free service only to residents of Moscow and the Moscow Region, but in the future it is planned to expand the number of cities involved.
Another famous operator, MTS, intends to add a similar VoLTE option in 2018. This year, it is planned to conduct large-scale testing in various regions to determine the efficiency of the whole idea in practice. Based on the results of the test, a final decision will be made regarding any possible improvements.
The Tele2 operator also did not stand aside and became interested in VoLTE. The company's management claims that initially this protocol will be available for two branded LTE and Tele2 Midi LTE. These devices will attract the attention of many consumers because they belong to the budget segment due to their low cost, which reaches 5 thousand rubles. But, so far, the technology in question is available exclusively for Muscovites.
I would like to hope that now you understand how volte works and what it is in a phone. The presented protocol is indeed indispensable, because it allows you to perform several actions at the same time. Before connecting, you need to purchase a mobile device that supports the appropriate communication standard, as well as familiarize yourself with the tariff scale of operators that have already added this option for their customers.
Now it is difficult to imagine the modern world without cellular communication. If you remember its history of development, then it is not so long. It started in the 80s. These were the first generation networks using analog systems. Digital technologies began to appear in the early 90s. At the moment, 4G networks are widely used. One of its capabilities will be discussed in the article - this is VoLTE technology, which is still young and is only gaining momentum in Russia.
Someone will object that he already uses 4G, and there is nothing unusual in this. Now only packet data is transmitted over LTE networks, that is, the Internet is provided. Conversations are carried out through 3G networks. With each call, the phone has to switch from one mode to another.
While it is in the implementation stage. We are only at the beginning of the journey, but once LTE was perceived as something unusual. The new technology has a number of advantages, so the transition to it will take communication to a new level.
There are several disadvantages that greatly limit its use. This is primarily that its implementation in a smartphone must be decided at the chipset level. At the moment, a small number of devices support this technology. Mostly these are the flagships of popular manufacturers: iPhone, Sony, Samsung, LG and their prices are above average. The second drawback is that for high-quality communication, all subscribers must use VoLTE. Otherwise, no one will notice the benefits.
VoLTE in Megafon
In September 2016, Megafon was the first operator in Russia to launch this technology without restrictions. Evgeny Novosyolov, Infrastructure Director of the Capital Branch:
MegaFon is the first operator in Russia and the Moscow region, thanks to which iPhone owners have the opportunity to make calls with high sound quality.”
At the moment, the service is available only to residents of Moscow. The service is not provided in national and international roaming. In addition, not every phone is able to connect using this service. We will not give the entire list of smartphones, as it is constantly expanding. In the Megafon online store you can see the entire list of models http://shop.megafon.ru/mobile/-volte.html. Here you can choose a phone for every taste and wallet.
The firmware of the phone must also support the new technology. Up-to-date information on the software can be seen on the operator's website.
If the phone and its firmware have the ability to transmit voice in 4G networks, then it remains only to enable it in the phone settings. This is done in the mobile network settings. called "4G LTE Mode", "VoLTE", "Enable LTE", "LTE Calls" and differs depending on the model. More detailed information will be in the instructions for the device. The service does not require additional activation or connection from the operator and is provided to all subscribers by default. The only condition is that the sm-card must support 4G. You can check this with a combination of numbers *507# call.
The question of payment is also interesting. The technology involves the transmission of voice by packet data, via the Internet, will there be a double payment or traffic consumption? You don't have to worry about this. Payment will not change. The money will be debited according to the tariff, and the traffic will be free.
In the event that the 4G signal is lost, the conversation will not end. The phone will reconfigure to 3G or 2G. Along with this, the sound quality and all other advantages of the technology will disappear.
Conclusion
This service is definitely worth paying attention to. Now there are many restrictions and only a few will be able to use it, but it was the same with 4G Internet. First Moscow, a limited number of technology-enabled phones, and now high-speed Internet from a smartphone will not surprise anyone.
What we have described above is presented in theory. Interesting user reviews. The first thing that immediately becomes noticeable is the high speed of the connection. Few noted improvements in voice quality. The problem may be that both subscribers must talk on VoLTE, otherwise, indeed, HD sound quality will not work. It was also not possible to track the battery savings, although according to all conclusions, it should be.
It has been noticed that, as the operator promises, the conversation is not interrupted when leaving the 4G coverage area, but goes into 3G. At the same time, VoLTE is kept until the last, until the signal becomes zero.
Video
Digital technologies are developing very quickly, and one of the clearest examples of such progress is VoLTE, however, few people know what it is in a phone.
In fact, this is a very useful communication standard in our time that works in cellular networks. It is noteworthy that it is fully compatible with 3G and.
But this is all theory and dry facts. To understand what is at stake and why such a standard is needed at all, it is necessary to understand all its features. This is what we'll do!
Designation
VoLTE fully stands for "Voice over Long Term Evolution", which translates as "voice through long-term development." It consists of two parts - "Vo" and "LTE".
Now more and more cities around the world are actively using 3G. We connect the Internet through this standard.
So, there is 4G or 4G LTE. Through this standard, the Internet is also connected. In more formal terms, this is a way to transfer data.
Everything is very simple.
And now let's talk about how did this technology come about and what is its purpose.
A bit of history
The first full-fledged issue of Volte is dated May 2014. Then the company SingTel, which is based in Singapore, introduced the service in question.
At the time, it only operated in Singapore and did not expand to other countries. Moreover, at first he worked on a single phone -.
SingTel is a very popular company all over the world. There are 37 offices of this company in Asia, Europe and the USA. It is the sponsor of the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix.
SingTel's main areas of activity are cellular communications, Internet technologies and the so-called Fixed Network.
In addition to the technology under consideration, . This is a little information for your reference.
Let's return to the development of VoLTE.
Already in June 2014, the mobile operator in South Korea began to provide CT using this standard.
After the merger with China Mobile, CT continued to provide the highest quality roaming in the world at that time. Over time, KPN and iBasis began to offer the same service.
November of the same year marks another major event in the history of Volte.
Then Verizon and AT&T announced that they would jointly introduce a connection using Voice over LTE between subscribers who are ready to subscribe to such a service.
And this event actually happened in 2015.
After that, more and more countries are implementing the use of the standard in question.
To date, very few countries have full support for voice over LTE networks - as of November 2017, there are only 9 of them.
At the same time, in such “advanced” states in technical terms, such as Germany, Canada and France, the implementation of the standard is still only planned.
It is absolutely incomprehensible why other countries and mobile operators are in no hurry to use Volte.
Perhaps this is somehow related to the cost of equipment or the banal lack of specialists who could do this.
Why you need VoLTE
There are at least three reasons why specialists from Singapore decided to create a new data transfer standard:
- Faster call making. The fact is that any device will be able to make a much faster call if 4G is connected to it. It does not take time to switch to 3G, and this is usually about 2-3 seconds. Previously, it was impossible to make calls with 4G and it took time for smartphones and tablets to switch to 3G when the user wanted to make a call. But with the advent of the ability to also transmit voice using 4G, all operations began to be performed much faster.
- Higher quality of communication. The point is that the sound quality with the advent of the technology in question has also become much higher. Users began to hear each other many times better. This is really important these days.
- Saving data transmission during a call. Surely, 4G users have repeatedly encountered a problem when they receive a call and the Internet is turned off. Now it won't.
In general, there was definitely a sense in new developments, and the emergence of new technology, by and large, was a matter of time.
It is worth saying that VoLTE has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages. Let's talk about them.
Advantages
In addition to higher communication quality and, 4G has the following positive aspects:
1 Increasing network capacity. In simple terms, this implies that the number of subscribers for one station is increasing. For those who are "not in the know", let's say that all subscribers of cellular operators are served by base stations. So, when 3G is used, the number of subscribers at each base station is less than when using VoLTE, and by as much as 3 times. Usually, due to the overload of such stations, there were interruptions in communication and other problems of the same type.
2 Now you can call for free. This is a unique advantage that is achieved by using the type of networks in question. The fact is that 4G does not provide for a switching connection at all, which means that you do not need to pay for the corresponding communications. The voice is transmitted through the same system through which other types of data are transmitted, roughly speaking, via the Internet. Therefore, if a subscriber uses unlimited Internet, he will not pay a penny for calls.
Speaking of the latter, it is worth noting that calls will be free even to those subscribers who use 2G and 3G.
In any case, if the Internet is unlimited, you will not pay anything.
It seems impossible, but it's true!
At the same time, in earlier AMR-NB services. Even without understanding these terms, one can easily understand that in 4G everything is much better and the voice is “clearer”.
In this world, unfortunately, everything is imperfect, so Voice over LTE also has flaws, and for some they will be very significant. Let's move on to the negative.
disadvantages
Experts highlight three negative points, namely:
Accordingly, more energy is needed to operate the device, that is, a more capacious battery is required. Or you will need to charge more often or . However, today all such gadgets are "famous" for their terrible battery capacity. In the best case, after six months of using the device, it will have to be charged every day. But if the user also uses VoLTE, over time, a full battery charge will be enough for half a day or even less. You will have to change batteries quite often or achieve reduced power consumption in every possible way (disabling applications and services, cleaning, and so on).
2 The need for a general transition to the new standard by all mobile operators. To ensure normal operation, it is necessary that each operator decides to use 4G and this standard becomes the main one. The problem is that connecting 4G subscribers with 3G and 2G subscribers is a complex procedure that requires a large number of conditions to be met. For example, you need to have the appropriate equipment in the area. There is a third drawback associated with this.
3 In areas where there are no LTE stations, there will be no connection at all unless you switch to 3G manually. Actually, today there are very few such towers, therefore, unfortunately, people who decide to use new technologies will often have to switch from one standard to another.
In truth, until the moment when the necessary base stations will be everywhere, it is still very far away.
As we said above, very few operators in a small number of countries have decided to switch to the new standard.
Let's sum up what has been said.
Results
So, VoLTE is a new communication standard, a voice transmission technology using LTE networks.
In the networks that were used before, this was not possible.
Among other things, the use of such a standard makes it possible to achieve a higher quality of voice during transmission, as well as the complete abolition of payment for calls.
The reason for the latter is that commutation is not used here.
The technology also has disadvantages. For example, the load on the device () becomes greater. Accordingly, it will need to be charged more often.
In addition, for the normal application of the standard, it is necessary that all mobile operators begin to switch to it. At present, this is, unfortunately, unlikely.
And yet, Voice over LTE has excellent development prospects!
The high quality of data exchange, including voice, in wireless networks implies, first of all, stability and high speed of information transfer. Work on improving the quality of mobile networks is ongoing and it should be noted that over the past few years, a lot of success has been achieved in this area. More and more new and advanced communication standards are becoming available, for example, Long Term Evolution or LTE for short. This standard is also known as 4G.
According to the specification, the maximum speed that 3G networks can provide is 42 Mb / s, but in reality it rarely exceeds 2-3 Mb / s, while the fourth generation network already now allows you to transfer data at a speed of about 20 Mb / s, a good example what is the Moscow LTE network Megafon. LTE/4G is also good because it is fully compatible with 3G based on UMTS/HSPA and CDMA, which allows it to be implemented without significant infrastructure reconstruction. But LTE also has its drawbacks, of which perhaps the main one is the lack of support for telephone voice communications.
VoLTE - what is it and how does it work
To make calls, the user can switch to 3G, but this is not an option. Instead of returning to aging standards, it is better to use a new technology called VoLTE. But what is VoLTE? If we draw the closest analogy to this new standard, then Skype is one. In VoLTE, as in Skype, the voice is transmitted not via switch channels, but via the Internet. In short, VoLTE is a voice-over-LTE technology that allows you to make calls at high speed, while enjoying all the benefits that a fourth generation network provides.
But that's not all. Previously, when making a voice call, the operator transferred the subscriber from LTE mode to 2G or 3G using the widely used Circuit-Switched Fallback (CSFB) technology.
When the user ended the call, his phone automatically switched to LTE. This time-tested method has, however, a number of disadvantages. In particular, the use of CSFB created an unnecessary load on the mobile network, and also increased the user's connection time with the subscriber, although neither the caller nor the receiver of the call, as a rule, noticed this. With LTE, everything is much faster and easier, because now calls are made within the network itself.
Advantages and disadvantages of the standard
Although VoLTE technology is still in its infancy at the moment, its benefits are quite clear. These include:
- Higher connection speed achieved by eliminating the need to switch the mobile device to GSM or 3G when making a call.
- Higher voice quality. The data transfer rate in 2G and 3G networks is limited, which does not allow the transmission of voice modulation components in full. The bandwidth of LTE is much higher, more voice data is transmitted through such a network, and the use of HD Voice codecs adds volume to the sound and reduces the amount of noise.
- When using VoLTE, simultaneous transmission of voice and other data is possible. In 2G and 3G networks, when making calls, the transfer of Internet traffic was usually temporarily suspended. This is due to the fact that with the simultaneous transmission of voice and other data, the quality of communication dropped sharply, while the load on the network, on the contrary, increased. VoLTE does not have these restrictions.
- Increasing the capacity of cellular networks. The use of VoLTE technology makes it possible to increase the number of subscribers simultaneously using communication compared to 3G up to three times without a significant increase in network load.
- Free calls. Since voice is transmitted in packet mode when using VoLTE, only Internet traffic is consumed. If the user is connected to an unlimited tariff, all calls made by him can be considered as practically free.
- Save battery power. The VoLTE standard provides for a special DRX mode that provides reception of the base station signal with short breaks. During these interruptions, the device's radio is turned off, and therefore the battery consumption is reduced.
These were the main advantages of VoLTE. On the other hand, it has its own set of shortcomings, due to which users often abandon the new technology. At the moment, the main cons are:
- Increased demands on the hardware resources of the mobile phone. The VoLTE operation algorithm must be implemented at the processor level; if the requirements do not meet, the load on the mobile device may increase.
- Limited number of phone models supporting VoLTE. The new technology is supported only by the latest models of mobile devices.
- To ensure the declared sound quality, it is necessary that both the caller and the receiver use VoLTE.
- Difficulties of transition to the new standard by mobile operators. It will be possible to take advantage of VoLTE only after all operators decide to make the standard the main one.
- VoLTE is not supported by all operators and not in all regions due to the lack of appropriate equipment on the towers.
- The presence of vulnerabilities in VoLTE technology.
- The standard may not be available in intranet and international roaming.
How to enable VoLTE on your phone
The use of the new standard is subject to two basic conditions. Firstly, your operator must support it, and secondly, the standard must be supported by the mobile device itself. Everything is more or less clear with the operator, to find out whether he supports the new standard or not, just call the support service. Now let's see what VoLTE is in a phone. This is an option enabled manually or automatically in the mobile settings. If this option is not available in your phone, the VoLTE standard is not supported by either the firmware or the device.
Currently, VoLTE is supported by more than thirty smartphone models from leading manufacturers. Among them are iPhone, LG, Vertex Saturn, Samsung Galaxy, Sony Xperia and ZTE. How to enable/disable VoLTE? It all depends on the device model. In the iPhone, for example, the VoLTE standard is enabled in the settings Cellular - Data Options - Enable LTE - Voice and Data.
To enable the option in Samsung Galaxy, you need to go through the chain Settings - Connections - Mobile networks - VoLTE calls. In LG smartphones, you need to go to Settings, and then follow the path Networks - Advanced - Mobile networks - VoLTE. VoLTE is turned off in the same place where it was turned on.
Development prospects
Despite the many challenges and hurdles facing VoLTE adoption, the future of the new technology looks very promising, especially given that 5G networks are just around the corner. The main obstacle to the development of the standard - the lack of an appropriate legal framework in Russian legislation - has already been successfully eliminated, now it is up to the leading mobile operators, as well as the users themselves.
However, one should not expect the rapid spread of VoLTE, especially in the regions. There are still too few devices capable of working with this technology in the hands of subscribers of cellular networks, and secondly, there is still no complete and final agreement between operators regarding the transition to a single standard. The victory of VoLTE can only be expected if all operators create and adopt common principles, and also if the standard manages to compete with services that provide voice OTT services.
In 2012, I noticed that some of my acquaintances when making calls on a mobile phone became much better heard than everyone else. The difference was so significant that I began to ask the interlocutors - what kind of phones they use (it was easier then with the definition of the operator due to the lack of the possibility of porting the number). It turned out that we are talking about a bunch of smartphones Sony Xperia and MTS, which began to introduce HD Voice technology. Then I found out that since 2010 HD Voice has been working for MegaFon, but for some reason I didn’t notice a similar contrast, although he was the main operator at that moment.
The human voice is in the range from 80 to 14,000 hertz, but before HD Voice it was placed in the Procrustean bed of 300-3400 Hz, which, of course, was hard not to notice. HD Voice extended the range to 50-7000 Hz. It's not ideal either, but much, much better.
For some reason, they saw HD Voice on the Beeline website like this
Over time, the list of smartphones that support HD Voice has expanded significantly, and today it is difficult to find a device that would not be able to do this. But still, the voice does not always sound good enough. Especially as operators introduce priorities for Internet traffic, and the voice has to be content with the rest of the bandwidth. Messengers “sound” better, but, as they say, there is no stability.
I discussed this topic while working on the project "Russia at the speed of digital", and I was advised to try VoLTE technology. Using the rough language of Wikipedia, I will say that this is “Voice over LTE technology based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Allows you to provide voice services and deliver them as a data stream over LTE. VoLTE has three times the voice and data capacity of 3G UMTS networks and up to six times that of 2G GSM networks. It also frees up bandwidth because packet headers are smaller than non-optimized VoIP/LTE.”
At the time of this writing (March 5, 2018), VoLTE really and officially only works with MegaFon. Beeline launched support in Moscow on six rather exotic smartphones, but then turned it off on them too. Tele2 VoLTE seems to function on three smartphones released under its own brand, but they are so dead (in the sense of smartphones) that I didn’t really want to buy for the test. MegaFon has an impressive list (), and it includes the flagships of Apple, LG, Samsung and even Nokia. According to unofficial data, VoLTE is enabled on some ZTEs. Taking into account the fact that to use VoLTE in MegaFon it is enough just to have a SIM card with 4G + support, there are plenty of opportunities to test the technology in action.
But why?
If you think that VoLTE is just an improvement in voice quality, then no, everything is somewhat more interesting.
Firstly, during a call, Internet access is not interrupted. And if during a normal call, when the smartphone is in hand, this is not particularly critical, then when using online navigation, having access to the Network is very important.
Over the hill, the introduction of VoLTE is also a matter of pride and is not yet seen too often. Secondly, the connection establishment speed is reduced drastically. Sometimes just instantly, sometimes you have to wait 1-2 seconds. It's just nice.
And, thirdly, yes - the voice is really better. This is especially noticeable with MegaFon, which has long prioritized the Internet, which is why ordinary voice calls have acquired a strong taste of metal. When making calls over LTE, naturalness returns.
I was interested in the question - how does using VoLTE affect battery life? The forums say that either nothing, or it works a little longer. Looking ahead a little, I will say that my impression is rather closer to “no way”. But no less is good.
Also, the use of technology does not affect the costs, everything remains within the framework of the selected tariff plan. Internet traffic used for voice does not result in the consumption of an Internet package.
For the operator, the benefit of VoLTE is the ability to use frequencies more efficiently (remember the tripled voice capacity). Those with lots of prepaid minutes tend to use fairly modern handsets, and if you drag them to LTE, everyone will be better off.
Where does it work?
At the moment, experiments with VoLTE for all operators are limited to Moscow and the Moscow region. When leaving for neighboring regions, the magic disappears. Also, a SIM card from another region, once in Moscow, will not start supporting VoLTE.
If the other party in the network of the same carrier does not have a VoLTE-enabled smartphone, the voice quality will not improve, but the connection speed will still be fast, and the ability to transfer data during a call will not disappear. When calling a subscriber of another operator, only the Internet during the conversation will be a bonus, because the connection speed already depends not only on your operator.
If a person calls you from an outdated device (or operator), your voice will still go over LTE, but the codec will be used as usual. Therefore, the voice quality will not increase.
Go!
Armed with all this knowledge, I went to the MegaFon salon for a SIM card. Employees were not very aware of how to make VoLTE work. In particular, it is not clear from the official description whether any tariff is suitable or only the option from the new “Turn On” set. For greater reliability, I connected “Turn on! Write."
The first experience of immersing in VoLTE was not very successful: despite the fact that the LG G6 (870DS) is on the list of supported ones, the technology did not work. Neither an item appeared in the menu, nor a characteristic icon in the service line. I rearranged the SIM card in the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and that's where everything was picked up. This, of course, is a little strange, but oh well.
MegaFon honestly warns that the services “Personal beep”, “AntiAON”, “One-time AntiAON” and “Who called +” do not work in VoLTE mode. As far as I understand, the point is that the traffic goes through LTE, and the existing equipment cannot match it with some services. In the future, these restrictions will probably disappear.
It is easy to find out about the presence of VoLTE on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium by the impressive size of the logo in the service line. When switching to a 3G and 2G network, the logo disappears. The active call is not interrupted, but the voice quality is changed. In general, no wonder: in this case, the codec is replaced from AMR WB (Adaptive multi rate wide band, also known as G.722.2) to AM NB (Adaptive multi rate narrow band).
As for the call quality in VoLTE mode, it is really excellent. The frequency range expands to 16,000 Hz, which is even more than necessary to convey all shades of voice. The bitrate depends on the specific device and the settings of the network segment, so fluctuations are possible within the range from 12.65 to 23.85 Kbps. Audiophiles may shudder a little after such numbers, but still the voice is not a jazz concert, and that's enough. The voice breathes, lives, and the difference with the sound of MegaFon in less advanced modes is very significant.
peep the future
In the comments to the post on Facebook, where I announced the start of experiments with VoLTE, I was told that MTS also has this technology. More precisely, it is being tested, but you can join without much effort. I don't know why this time the operator decided to launch the technology simultaneously with his colleagues. Perhaps they decided for once not to play catch-up, but to finish it so that it becomes available to the maximum number of customers and “makes friends” with already operating services. In the test mode, VoLTE from MTS is available on all current iPhones, starting with SE, as well as on Motorola Moto C Plus and some models of devices under its own brand. Inclusion requires iOS 11.3 public beta to be installed on iPhone.
I haven't experimented with betas on the iPhone for a long time. Since then, when they had to be downloaded and installed from a computer via a string. But now, after signing up for the beta testing program, everything comes over the air through the standard upgrade menu, which is nice.
The installation of the beta was even smoother than the other final version. No icons appeared in the service line, Apple does not like this. In fact, the only way to detect the VoLTE support of devices is the LTE icon during a call. And, of course, the rest of the goodies are a fast connection, Internet access via LTE during a call, and increased voice quality.
Together with iOS 11.3 Beta2, Wi-Fi Calling technology also came to the iPhone, which I have simply enjoyed since the days of the Samsung Galaxy S7, where it first appeared in conjunction with the MTS network. In the editorial office, the usual connection did not work very well at times, and with Wi-Fi, all problems immediately disappeared. Well, Wi-Fi Calling saved me a lot of money during my trips abroad, because the conditions of my home region apply with it, even if you do not connect any additional services to minimize costs. That is, incoming calls are free, outgoing calls use a regular package of minutes.
Already in the test mode, the iPhone during a call switches from VoLTE to Wi-Fi Calling and other standards smoothly and without interruptions. The codec in 3G and 2G, of course, changes. It is worth mentioning that it was with Wi-Fi Calling on the iPhone in iOS 11.3 Beta 2 that there were rough edges (long connection and very high requirements for the quality of the Wi-Fi signal, you had to stand right at the router), but already in Beta3 this was fixed in Beta4 didn't get worse.
In the service line, when switching to iOS 11.3, the name of the operator changes When making calls within the Moscow MTS network, the voice quality is amazing, but given that the interlocutors communicate not only through one operator, but also using smartphones of an expensive brand, one should not expect another. When calling MegaFon subscribers with VoLTE connected, a funny picture is observed: it seems to work for each interlocutor, but somewhere along the way at the switch level everything is cut to the usual level. I am sure that one day operators will make special gateways, but so far, unfortunately, miracles of progress are possible only within one network.
Nothing is known about the restrictions on services in the MTS network. All the details will be in the official version of iOS 11.3, which is expected in mid-March.
Total
The tremendous progress in the field of mobile Internet over the past ten years has practically not affected the quality of voice transmission. Voice and data seemed to live in the same room, but did not communicate, but created a lot of inconvenience for each other. VoLTE eliminates this strange disharmony, allowing the operator to stop being torn between voice and data communications.
Ordinary communication after VoLTE will seem to you an unpleasant archaism Of course, the complete victory of the new technology is still very far away. Beeline started experiments in 2015 and stopped them. Since September 2016, MegaFon has not gone beyond the Moscow Region, and not everything is going smoothly inside it. The "implementation" of Tele2 cannot be taken seriously. MTS also works only in Moscow and the Moscow region, and although the first impression is good (especially considering the expansion of Wi-Fi Calling support on the iPhone), it is too early to talk seriously about the quality of work before mass use.
From a user's point of view, switching from a regular codec to an AMR WB is like going from a cassette to a CD. And operators can be safely classified as well: this one also sells cassette players, and this one already sells CD players. Having compared it once, it will not pull back.
Now I wonder who will be the first to leave the Moscow region. What are your rates?
