Wireless Networks

HD voice calls for Filipino subscribers following LTE launch

The market-leading Filipino operator is deploying a new HD voice service...

The market-leading Filipino operator is deploying a new HD voice service. Smart Communications, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), is offering Nokia Siemens Networks’ Wide Band Adaptive Multi-Rate (WB-AMR) to its subscribers in Mega Manila, including the Bulacan and Rizal provinces. Pilot implementations of this new feature have already been completed in Makati, Taguig and Rizal.

Nokia Siemens Networks is deploying the WB-AMR software feature in Smart Communications’ 3G network, and will do so later in its 2G network. The upgrade process is simplified by requiring only software updates for the network, and results in subscribers benefitting from improved voice call quality.

The upgrade can be compared to the difference between AM and FM radio. High-definition voice makes it easier for callers to distinguish commonly misunderstood sounds such as “s” from “f”, “m” from “n”, and “p” from “t”.

“In HD voice-enabled areas, callers with HD voice-capable handsets running on 3G will be able to hear the difference instantly,” said Rolando Peña, head of technology at PLDT.

Smart Communications recently launched its Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband network supplied by Nokia Siemens Networks. Using the 2100 MHz frequency, the LTE radio access is based on Nokia Siemens Networks’ Single Radio Access Network (RAN) and takes full advantage of the hardware concurrently used on that frequency for HSPA.

The LTE throughput speeds are faster than in the 3G HSPA networks and latency is improved considerably, bringing top-of-class Internet access and rich communication experience to mobile subscribers. This is complemented with the simultaneous deployment of Virtual Antenna Mapping (VAM) in the 3G layer, a unique feature which enables doubling transmit signals to maximise the usage of multiple power amplifiers, thus further enhancing 3G coverage and throughput performance.

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