T-Mobile rolls out next-gen voice calls, starting with Seattle
Even though your voice is magically being transported through the air, cellular phone calls actually work more or less the same as their land-line counterparts. T-Mobile is finally ditching the old-school circuit-switched method for Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which sends your sweet lyrical words via IP (Internet Protocol), just like Skype. The carrier will still be able to deliver its HD Voice feature, but it'll do so over the same airwaves that it's also pushing high speed data. That should eliminate any issues with using data while on a phone call and will actually mean your calls will connect faster. And calls should transition seamlessly if you lose LTE coverage, but still have access to T-Mobile's HSPA.
Moving to VoLTE is an important step for T-Mobile as it continues to merge its network with Metro PCS, which debuted the technology back in 2012. Initially it will only be available in Seattle to customers carrying either the LG G Flex, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or Galaxy Light. More cities will be lighting up soon, though. And T-Mobile has big plans for things like Wi-Fi calling which will see enhancements over the next few months.
