What are the key challenges in launching VoLTE?
There are commercial and technical challenges with launching VoLTE, both domestically and internationally. Commercially, the focus of operators on domestic LTE data rollouts has reduced the focus on HD voice and VoLTE adoption and thus customer demand. In developed countries, where smartphone penetration is high, adoption will be quick. However, in the developing world, we will need to go through a cycle of equipment upgrades before the consumer is VoLTE-ready.
On the wholesale side, although existing agreements can be leveraged, the opportunity for local breakout and home routing add a level of richness to the inter-carrier relationship that did not exist before. Once LTE data networks are well established, we expect to see a huge push with VoLTE and HD voice in the next 12-24 months. Technically on the wholesale interconnect side, the entire TDM infrastructure has to be replaced by IPX and SIP-IMS signaling, which encompasses a large capital and operational investment.
What are the main drivers behind VoLTE?
The main drivers are network efficiency and enhanced customer experience. The ability to pass voice and data over a single channel will enable the farming of 3G frequencies allowing mobile operators to leverage their scarce bandwidth in the most optimal way.
Customers will experience increased battery life, lower device cost due to a single radio and higher voice quality. Customers will experience the lower noise floor and greater fidelity of HD voice provided by G.722.2 (AMR-WB). This will once again give mobile operators the ability to differentiate their services for enterprise and consumer markets.
Do you think telcos need to run VoLTE on IPX?
In short, yes, but it depends on your definition of IPX and your commercial and operational expectations. The GSMA clearly lays out IPX transport for VoLTE as an all-IP infrastructure that is private, secure, and offers class of service and near real-time quality reporting and monitoring. In my view, all of these features are strategically important to differentiate mobile operator services from other services running over the public internet. While the public internet will eventually evolve to provide the robustness and quality required for real-time communications, it isn't there yet, globally.
This article originally published in Telecom Asia's LTE Insights e-report