volga
Latest
Latest VoLGA specs for LTE voice include HSPA option
Verizon is lining up to use IMS for its 4G voice solution, but an alternative spec coming out of the VoLGA Forum -- which counts Deutsche Telekom, HTC, Samsung, and LG among its members -- is shaping up with a revised version this week that includes some intriguing new features. Some of the line items are bare-bones basics that'll be required of any successful next-gen spec, notably the addition of SIM-less emergency calling like you can do on a GSM handset today, but what caught our eye is a mention of "the use of VoLGA over HSPA." Presumably, this means that carriers that already have 3G services widely deployed today will be able to run voice using the same protocol for both their HSPA and LTE networks, simplifying infrastructure in the long term. It's still pretty crazy to us that voice over LTE isn't a unified, cut-and-dried standard that was squared away years ago -- but if anything, it just serves as a stark reminder for how important data has become in our mobile devices. Follow the break for the press release.
T-Mobile steps forward with LTE voice standard, faces uphill battle
It's still a shockingly open question exactly how the world's carriers plan on transporting voice over LTE -- which is something everyone who loves 4G should be freaking out about, considering that it threatens launch schedules and interoperability among unlocked handsets. A vibrant array of possible solutions are currently on the table, including everything from SIP-based IMS (which is already approved by the 3GPP, helpfully) to the controversial thought of leaving legacy GSM and UMTS networks live for the sole purpose of running voice. T-Mobile International is putting its bets on VoLGA -- Voice Over LTE via Generic Access -- by participating in the VoLGA Forum, which has just published the second version of its specifications and aims for 3GPP consideration later this year. The technology routes circuit-switched (that is, old-school) voice over data packets, but the problem is that there are a bunch of companies proposing the same thing in slightly different ways; Nokia Siemens Networks, for example, is working on its own proprietary standard that'll go head-to-head with VoLGA. Currently, T-Mobile's the only major network actively participating in VoLGA's development, though it apparently has the support of every major infrastructure vendor except Nokia Siemens. Whether it's VoLGA or something else, let's hope everyone gets on the same page on the double before everyone gets too entrenched in incompatible technologies that make roaming difficult and handset variety lame.
