HD voice has been experiencing a slow but steady burn as carriers seek differentiators against over-the-top suppliers, even in their most traditional application area. Orange has been the trailblazer, and the latest supporter is Australian incumbent Telstra.

The operator has rolled out the ultra-clear voice technology across its Next G HSPA+ network. The upgrade uses a technology called WB-AMR (Wideband Adaptive Multirate coding), which doubles voice bandwidth in the same amount of spectrum to improve clarity.

‘The difference between a standard and HD call is the voice equivalent of comparing a VHS with a Blu-ray DVD. HD Voice calling sounds like you’re talking face-to-face, even if you are hundreds or thousands of kilometers apart,’ said Mike Wright, executive director at Telstra’s networks and access technologies unit. The carrier’s 3G and LTE supplier, Ericsson, says this is now the largest HD voice network in the world, covering more than 2.1m square kilometres.

The new offering will be free to access for subscribers using compatible phones, with initial models including the Nokia 6720, E52, E72 and N800, and the HTC Desire S. Next month, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo will launch on the Telstra network, also supporting HD capabilities, and the cellco ‘expects a large percentage of new devices to be launched with HD Voice support in the coming year’

bron:Rethink Wireless