It was just last week, T-Mobile announced it would start offering the iPhone at $99 down, and would support HD Voice. As soon as T-Mobile launches the iPhone 5 it will be the first to support HD Voice. AT&T’s Kris Rinne announced the Venture Beat Mobile Summit in Sausalito, California that AT&T will be the second carrier to support HD Voice over its 4G LTE Network. Here are 5 fast facts you need to know about HD Voice.
1. AT&T Will Roll Out Its ‘HD Voice’ Feature Later on This Year
AT&T announced at the Venture Beat Mobile Summit in Sausalito, California that they will be the second major U.S. carrier to roll out HD Voice over its 4G LTE Network. AllThings D reported that AT&T VP Kris Rinne said “HD Voice is part of our voice over LTE strategy.” HD Voice will be coming to AT&T later on this year.
2. T-Mobile Will Support ‘HD Voice’ When the iPhone 5 is Launched
T-Mobile announced last week that they would be the first U.S. carrier to support HD Voice when the iPhone 5 launches on April 12th, 2013. According to Gizmodo, when they tested out HD Voice on the iPhone 5, it was reported that the HD quality was fuller and richer.
“Calling from one T-Mobile iPhone to another, my caller’s voice came through loud and clear. You know how sometimes cell-to-cell voice calls can sound a little fragmented? Like little bits of sounds are being dropped? This didn’t have that. It was a much more natural sounded call. It was a bit richer, and definitely fuller. I wouldn’t say it was like night and day, but it’s definitely a noticeable improvement.”
3. AT&T is Starting to Work on Its 4G LTE Advanced Network
It was reported last year that AT&T had plans to roll out its “4G LTE Advanced” Network in the second half of 2013. This was based on comments that were made from AT&T executives at the Consumer Analyst Conference in Atlanta. The 4G LTE Advanced Network will make major improvements to mobile data speed and will deliver speeds up to 100Mbps. AllThingsD reported, AT&T is beginning to work on the LTE Advanced Network.
4. HD Voice Has Been Available in Europe for Years
AT&T’s HD Voice will be a major selling point, as it has been available in Europe the last several years. The only carrier in the U.S. that hasn’t rolled out HD Voice is Verzion, in which they plan to do so sometime in 2014.
5. The Technology Will Deliver Amazing Sound
According to Phil Schiller HD Voice is capable of delivering amazing sound.
“In a typical cellphone call, this is what it looks like. The frequency of the data in your voice is compressed around the midrange to help make that call sound more intelligible, but it doesn’t sound entirely natural all the time. So with wideband audio we can fill up more of the frequency spectrum and make your voice sound even more natural.”