AT&T Hears Call of VoLTE in 2014
AT&T execs are getting ready for 4G voice over LTE in 2014, and they expect initial markets to be announced early this year.
LAS VEGAS -- 2014 AT&T Developer Summit -- Delivering voice over LTE (VoLTE) is a big project for AT&T as it looks into 2014.
Several executives at the annual developers' conference talked about AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)'s work with 4G VoLTE voice services. "We're in the final stages of our VoLTE testing," Kris Rinne, senior vice president of network technology at AT&T Labs, told us at the event Monday.
She said that AT&T will include a high-definition voice service as part of its VoLTE launch. Rinne didn't say exactly when the service will launch this year, but the operator is starting to introduce devices that can support such services. (See AT&T Amplifies Its 4G Voice.)
Earlier at the developer summit keynote, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega unveiled the AsusTek Computer Inc. Padfone X, a smartphone that he said will support HD voice and LTE-Advanced.
Figure 1: Talkin' HD Asus CEO Jerry Chen and AT&T's de la Vega chat up the Padfone X.
It appears that AT&T will reveal the initial launch cities for VoLTE soon, too. "Early this year, we're going to announce markets" for both VoLTE and HD voice, John Donovan, senior executive vice president of AT&T technology and network operations, said in Vegas Monday at the Citi Conference.
AT&T is not the only major US carrier mulling a VoLTE service. VoLTE-complaint devices have recently been spotted on the Verizon Wireless network. (See Verizon VoLTE Testing Spotted, Verizon Promises Voice-Over-LTE in 2014, and VoLTE Needs Passing Grade From Operator Tests.)
— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading
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