Alcatel-Lucent, ZTE and Huawei are pitching in to facilitate the first VoLTE launch in China.
Alcatel-Lucent will provide a software platform to China Mobile, with ZTE supplying core network technologies and Huawei providing network convergence and reconstruction.
A-L’s Rapport communications platform will allow China Mobile to consolidate video, voice and messaging services on a single platform, while also offering APIs and WebRTC capabilities to enable the creation of new app and services such as Wi-Fi calling.
Rapport will be deployed by China Mobile in nine provinces, including Shanghai, Chongqing, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
The deployment follows the signing of a frame agreement between China Mobile and the France-based vendor in June, which covers the delivery of ultra-broadband access, IP networking and NFV technologies.
Bhaskar Gorti, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s IP Platforms business, said: “Rapport was created to simplify communication networks for service providers such as China Mobile. The new platform allows them to seamlessly deliver superior revenue-generating VoLTE services together with video and messaging, allowing their subscribers to communicate in whichever way they prefer, wherever they are and using any fixed or mobile device.”
Rapport is also being trialled by China Mobile for an NFV-based VoLTE solution, A-L said.
This follows the trial of a virtual VoLTE solution conducted with Huawei in March.
Huawei, which was awarded the largest share of China Mobile’s VoLTE project, has been charged with transforming the operator’s fixed IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks to Fixed-Mobile Convergence networks across 14 provinces in the country.
Meanwhile, ZTE will provide core IMS technologies for China Mobile’s VoLTE rollout, including network equipment and systems integration.
China Mobile has said it hopes to reach 50 million subscribers with its VoLTE service by early 2016.