First Android 4.0 to Android 4.0 Handset Over The Air VoLTE Demonstration
Renesas Mobile Corporation today announced that it has successfully demonstrated high definition Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and short messaging service (SMS) over the air. It said this test, using Nokia Siemens Networks’ commercially available infrastructure, represents the first over the air demonstration of calls to and from an Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) based device using VoLTE.
A company statement said the "milestone" sets the scene for operators to migrate to providing all their services over IP, including voice and SMS, thereby freeing up legacy circuit switched GSM and WCDMA cellular networks.
Renesas Mobile reference devices running Android 4.0 and based on the Renesas Mobile SP2531 modem platform with VoLTE integrated were used for the demonstration. The device connected with Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE radio network, Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and IP Multimedia System (IMS) to receive and transmit high definition VoLTE and SMS traffic. The Nokia Siemens Networks implementation meets GSMA ir.92 industry standards for guaranteed bitrates (GBR) to ensure quality of service for voice traffic.
“As cellular networks grow increasingly congested, operators are constantly striving to find ways to manage traffic,” said Heikki Tenhunen, senior vice president of Renesas Mobile Corporation. “By being able to manage many more services in all-IP networks, operators are able to free the spectrum used for legacy circuit switched GSM and WCDMA networks. This demonstration shows that Renesas Mobile is helping operators move in this direction.”
For VoLTE, the voice call utilises the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) that has already been deployed by many operators on LTE networks. VoLTE not only optimises network efficiency and enables higher quality voice and messaging over IP, it also provides the foundations for a broad range of services such as real-time video and various rich media and collaboration services that can interact with Web applications, potentially generating major new revenue streams in consumer and enterprise markets.