What exactly is the recently popular VoLTE technology?

When it comes to voice and video calls, what do you think of first? WeChat, QQ, or... Now there is a new technology that allows you to communicate more conveniently and smoothly, and that is VoLTE.

As VoLTE is being trialed in some first-tier cities in China, this technology has attracted more and more attention from consumers. So, what exactly is VoLTE? How far is it from our daily lives?

Let’s first talk about what VoLTE is?

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VoLTE is actually the abbreviation of Voice over LTE. It is an IP data transmission technology. When working, there is no need to rely on the previous 2G/3G network. All services are carried on the 4G network. It can unify data and voice services on the same network.

In other words, with the support of VoLTE, we can not only enjoy high-speed data services in the 4G network, but also use it to make higher quality voice and video calls.

In fact, VoLTE technology is not a recent development, but the network construction and hardware follow-up in our country are a bit slow, and the scope of trial commercial use is not very large.

What hardware devices are needed for support?

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According to the information currently available, there are currently only four products that can support VoLTE, namely Huawei Mate 7, Samsung GALAXY S6 and two mobile phone products launched by China Mobile.

One more thing to note is that Huawei Mate 7 needs to be flashed and upgraded, and Samsung S6 needs software upgrade before you can use VoLTE.

As for Apple's iPhone 6 and 6s, they actually already support VoLTE in terms of hardware. According to the relevant information about "Voice Calls" of the Hong Kong version of iPhone 6/6s, they already support VoLTE calls.

As for why the same information description does not appear in the Chinese version, the most likely reason is that VoLTE has not yet been officially commercialized (it is currently only in "trial commercial use").

If VoLTE technology is officially commercialized next year, the iPhone 6 and 6s sold in China will most likely support it through software upgrades, so current iPhone users of these two series should not worry too much.

If you are currently using the Hong Kong version of iPhone 6/6s, you still cannot use VoLTE in China as there are still network restrictions and the mobile phone SIM card will also have certain authority restrictions.

Will the 4G-enabled smartphone I'm using work?

The good news is that from the "China Mobile Partner Conference" held in Guangzhou these days, it was learned that manufacturers such as Nubia and Huawei have also launched new products that support VoLTE (Nubia Z9 series, Huawei Mate 8 VoLTE version), and have successively stated that they will launch more new mobile phones that support VoLTE next year.

The bad news is that if the 4G mobile phone you currently buy is not one of the above products, if you want to experience VoLTE in the future, you may need to buy a new mobile phone that supports VoLTE.

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How is it different from existing online videos?

We also experienced VoLTE video calls not long ago. From the experience of our colleagues, VoLTE has very obvious advantages in terms of call fluency and video clarity, which is much better than the usual network video freezes, delays and unclear images.

How are fees calculated?

During the trial commercial phase, China Mobile's tariff package provides 100 minutes of voice calls and 500 minutes of video calls for free after activating VoLTE (until the end of this month).

If the voice call time exceeds the limit, the excess will consume your existing ordinary call minutes, while video calls will be charged separately at 1 yuan per minute, which is not cheap.

One more thing to say is that currently only mobile users who have previously activated 4G services can apply for it.

Moreover, the number of cities for trial commercial use is relatively limited. As for whether users can activate VoLTE, they still need to consult the local mobile business hall.

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How is your current user experience?

Currently, VoLTE is only available to China Mobile users. VoLTE is much clearer and smoother than previous Internet voice and video experiences.

However, judging from the current opening situation, it can still only be used in a few cities, and the coverage cities are not too many.

But if VoLTE is confirmed to be available in your city, then you can use VoLTE basically wherever there is a 4G network.

Since both voice and high-definition video calls can be made, I believe the battery life of mobile phones will be a greater test. I wonder whether the large-scale mobile phones that support VoLTE technology next year will have a significant improvement in battery life.