116 mobile operators launched Mobile HD voice in 75 countries; 11 operators launched with VoLTE
116 mobile operators in 75 countries have commercially launched HD voice services, according to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). The latest issue of the Mobile HD voice: Global Update report, published on September 19, 2014 confirmed that the number of mobile operators now offering HD voice services is more than 30% higher than a year ago.
Mobile HD voice uses Adaptive Multi Rate Wideband (W-AMR) technology, enabling high-quality voice calls in supporting mobile networks and an improved user experience for calls between mobile phones supporting the feature.
HD voice service is commercially launched in Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Rep., Denmark, Dominican Rep., Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Réunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, and the USA.
The majority of operators offer HD voice service over a single radio access network, however some offer the service over more than one network system. The breakdown of radio access network technologies that are used to deliver commercial HD voice service is as follows:
95 HD voice operators use 3G/HSPA-only
9 HD voice operators use LTE-only with VoLTE
2 HD voice operators use GSM-only
8 HD voice operators use GSM and HSPA networks
2 HD voice operators use HSPA and LTE networks with VoLTE
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116 Total mobile HD voice operators
The system technology totals are therefore:
105 HD voice operators use 3G/HSPA networks
10 HD voice operator use 2G/GSM networks
11 HD voice operator use 4G/LTE networks
Alan Hadden, President of GSA, said: “29 countries have at least two mobile HD voice operators. Interconnection between competing networks for end-to-end HD voice calling is a priority.”
71 operators are investing in VoLTE studies, trials or deployments, including 11 that have commercially launched HD voice service. The number of HD voice launches enabled by VoLTE is forecast to reach 19 by end-2014 and then double in 2015. In July 2014 GSA confirmed 92 smartphones (including carrier and frequency variants) support VoLTE, including products by Asus, Huawei, LG, Pantech, Samsung and Sony Mobile. The newly-announced Apple iPhone 6 & 6 Plus models support VoLTE. GSA will publish an HD voice devices status update report including VoLTE products later this month.
The Mobile HD voice : Global Update report (September 19, 2014) provides market facts and a status summary of mobile HD voice operator commitments and service deployments on 2G/GSM, 3G/HSPA & 4G/LTE networks (i.e. VoLTE), commercial launches worldwide, and the maturing W-AMR enabled mobile HD voice user devices ecosystem.
The report is a free download for registered site users, sign in to www.gsacom.com and follow the link.
Registration page for new users http://www.gsacom.com/user/register.php
A map of global deployments and a chart showing commercial launches growth are also available on the website.
ABOUT GSA
GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) represents GSM/EDGE, WCDMA-HSPA and LTE suppliers, providing reports, facts, analysis and information explaining market developments and trends. Through its website www.gsacom.com GSA provides a single point of reference for information on the current status of mobile broadband (HSPA/HSPA+ and LTE/LTE- Advanced) networks and devices, and supports a global community which includes over 64,600 registered site users and over 21,300 contributors and followers on our social media platforms – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Around 250,000 reports, information papers and other materials are downloaded from the GSA website annually.
Website http://www.gsacom.com
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/gsacom
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-mobile-Suppliers-Association-GSA/123462771012551
GSA LinkedIN Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2313721
HD Voice (W-AMR) subgroup http://www.linkedin.com/groups?=&gid=3032759
