Surely some of the readers have already seen or heard the combination of letters VoLTE. Let's figure out what it hides underneath and how relevant it is today in Russia.
VoLTE - what is it?
VoLTE has a simple definition - it is a voice transmission technology in LTE networks (the second name is 4G). Accordingly, it is only available on smartphones with 4G support. VoLTE based on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Its innovation is that the technology allows telecom operators to provide voice services by delivering them from addresser to addressee as a data stream in LTE networks, which causes its higher capacity and higher quality than when making a call using 2G or 3G.
VoLTE translation is fully consistent with the definition. The combination of letters means Voice over LTE, which translates from English as "Voice over LTE".
The technology is not the latest - it was presented by the Singaporean corporation SingTel back in May 2014. Initially, only one gadget supported VoLTE - Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Since 2015, telecom operators around the world, including Russian ones, have become actively interested in the technology.
Advantages of Technology
Answering the question:"VoLTE - what is it?", Let's touch on the most important advantages of the invention:
- Each call to the subscriber will be 2 seconds shorter - this is how much it takes to switch the smartphone from 4G to 3G mode when making a call to the addressee. Now the gadget does not need to do such a manipulation.
- Improving the quality of communication, minimizing interference, voice distortion.
- While subscribers are talking using LTE VoLTE, their gadgets can transfer data at the maximum speed of 4G - as you remember, there is no need for devices to "go down" to 3G.
- Increase in the number of subscribers who will have the opportunity to simultaneously communicate with one tower - the base station. This advantage, so far noticed only by telecom operators, will be remembered by subscribers with a kind word on New Year and other holidays - many are faced with the fact that they cannot get through to relatives and friends just the same because of the exorbitant load on the mentioned tower. Now, in the era of VoLTE, a base station can support three times as many subscribers.
Disadvantages of VoLTE
Le VoLTE has a couple of drawbacks that are also important to note:
- The new technology implies a somewhat greater load on the smartphone, as a result of which it will discharge slightly faster during a call.
- LTE towers are mainly installed in cities and large settlements. Therefore, on the highway, in nature and recreation centers, in villages, etc., communication may be lost. To call a specific subscriber,the user will have to manually switch their smartphone to 3G or even EDGE, GPRS - to a mode that is supported in the area. It is possible that gadget developers will soon "teach" their devices to perform this action automatically if necessary.
VoLTE in Russia
In Russia, the new technology today is in the following status:
- Major Russian operator Megafon provides its subscribers living in Moscow and the Moscow region with VoLTE technology. It is not available to all owners of gadgets that support 4G, but only to those who have some models of iPnone, Sony and a number of other manufacturers. The "Call to 4G" service (another name is "HD-voice in 4G") is connected automatically. If this does not happen, then you should seek help by calling the support service numbers.
- In Beeline, VoLTE is available to subscribers connected to tariffs with a postpaid system. It is provided only on certain models of gadgets - their list can be found on the official website of the company. You can try out the new technology by contacting the Beeline subscriber service.
- MTS provides its subscribers with a similar service - VoWiFi/VoWLAN (call using Wi-Fi). Owners of the latest Samsung Galaxy models (A5-2016, J5 Prime, S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8+) and Sony Xperia XZs can enjoy it.
- Tele2 telecom operator for subscribers of the city of Moscow also made it possible to make a call using the technologyVoLTE. However, he did it selectively - so far only for owners of devices released directly by Tele2: Midi LTE, Maxi LTE, Maxi Plus. Activating the service with this operator is simple - you just need to dial the command 2191. Some users were able to set up voice transmission on their phones running on MTK chipsets manually. The operator also provides its subscribers with VoWiFi/VoWLAN. To make a call using this technology, the user should download a special application.
Let's analyze the innovation in more detail using the example of a number of telecom operators.
VoLTE and Megafon
Be the first in Russia to get an answer to the question: "What is VoLTE?" Subscribers of "MegaFon" could do it. In September 2016, owners of Sony Xperia (X, X Compact, X Performance, XZ) began to use the innovative technology.
In April 2017, it was the turn of the owners of the latest iPhone models, on whose phones the OS update was installed no later than 10.3.1. The service is provided by default free of charge to subscribers of the entire line of Megafon tariff plans.
VoLTE technology for MTS regional subscribers
If "Beeline", "Megafon" and "Tele2" have not yet announced that they plan to access VoLTE regions in their networks, then MTS shares news about the prospects for a much larger launch of the technology. Already in 2017, the invention is expected to be tested in a number of regions of Russia: St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk andVladivostok. Their inhabitants will soon try for themselves what it is - VoLTE.
As already mentioned, the operator has made Wi-Fi Calling technology available to subscribers of the capital and the Moscow region. It happened in November 2016 - the technology was open only to owners of a limited number of Samsung and Sony models. Today, the operator plans to expand the range of supporting devices to include phones from manufacturers such as Asus, Alcatel, HTC, LeEco, ZTE. Their owners will also soon find out everything about VoLTE: what it is and what it is "eaten with".
The situation with the iPhone is ambiguous - the latest models of such devices support VoLTE by default, but work in the networks of a mobile operator only after giving direct permission from Apple to MTS.
VoLTE on iPhone
Today, the mentioned technology is available to owners of iPhone 6 and newer. We will tell you how to carry out detailed VoLTE settings on these phones:
- Go to the "General" section in the phone settings, find the item "Software update". Once in it, make sure your iOS version is higher than 10.3. Otherwise, update the system.
- After these manipulations in the same basic settings, find the tab "About the device", then - information about the operator. Supports VoLTE operator version not lower than 28.3 (for Megafon, Beeline). Upgrade to this level if possible.
- The next step is to restart the gadget.
- After a reboot, you shouldre-enter "Settings" - "Cellular". In the "Data Options" item in the "Voice and Data" tab, check the box for LTE.
- Reboot your iPhone again.
- With the mobile Internet turned on (make sure you are in the 4G - LTE coverage area), make a call to another subscriber. If the LTE icon does not disappear, and the Internet is working properly, then you have currently tried the new Voice over LTE technology.
VoLTE is the latest voice transmission technology in modern smartphones with 4G support - the fastest internet from cellular operators at the moment. The invention allows not only to improve the quality of communication and connection speed, but also to increase the capabilities of base stations of telecom operators.