Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) announced on Wednesday that it has successfully demonstrated 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) with its technology partner, Nokia, during ongoing 5G trials in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Vodafone Idea stated that once the VoNR solution is implemented, it will allow Vi to provide its subscribers with high-definition voice experiences over 5G, as well as several advanced voice applications and use cases in the future.
Vi is conducting 5G trials on government-allocated 5G spectrum in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and Pune, Maharashtra.
The VoNR trial was done on Nokia’s portfolio of solutions including its AirScale 5G RAN, 5G Core and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice core. “Once commercially deployed, the solution can provide superior user experience on a reliable, low latency network, as it uses the 5G network for both voice and data services,” said the press release.
According to Jagbir Singh, CTO, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “We are testing technology solutions for superior network experience and use cases of relevance to digital enterprises and consumers, during our 5G trials. Having achieved the fastest 5G speeds in the country and demonstration of a wide range of use cases, we have now successfully tested VoNR service which offers the best call quality on 5G networks, using technology solutions from Nokia. I am confident that our relentless pursuit to deliver a superior network for Digital India will help us to continue providing the best in class voice and data services to 5G users in the future.”
Nokia’s VoNR solution enables service providers to provide voice-based applications such as real-time translation and immersive voice to customers for more engaging augmented and virtual reality use cases.
Nokia IMS voice core enables service providers to generate new revenue streams through applications and use cases in which voice plays a critical role, as well as to gain much-needed operational flexibility and lower network management costs.
Previously, during 5G trials with Nokia in Gandhinagar, Vi achieved speeds in excess of 4 Gbps and demonstrated consumer use cases such as AI-based VR streaming, Roller Coaster Gaming, VR 5G Connected Schools, and 360 degree VR Content Playback.
In addition, Vi used Nokia’s 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G core to demonstrate a secure network slicing use case, as well as tried out 5G in mid-band to provide rural broadband connectivity in Gandhinagar.