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VoLTE is a method of voice communication similar to VoIP - but using 4G LTE connectivity.
4G has long been the backbone of the UK's cellular data infrastructure, providing mobile data connectivity to those across the UK.
However, the 4G network is being used more and more for VoIP connectivity, known in the industry as VoLTE.
Read more: The reliable speeds of 4G in 2019
VoLTE allows you to make and receive voice calls using the 4G network.
Businesses that use VoLTE in conjunction with a VoIP phone system can unlock a host of benefits associated with this modern technology.
VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE, and LTE is the fancy way of saying '4G'. So, VoLTE means sending your voice using 4G - pretty simple really.
The advent of 3G sparked an interest in VoIP using a mobile network. However, 3G was too slow and had too much latency to reliably hold a VoIP voice call between two parties.
When the 4G standard rolled out across the UK, VoLTE swiftly followed. The LTE network reduced latency and improved the speeds of the UK's cellular infrastructure, therefore enabling VoIP calls using this LTE network.
Almost every major provider supplies VoLTE capabilities to their consumers - including the three main networks that are used by Commsplus Mobile; EE, Vodafone and O2.
Most modern handsets and mobiles also support the VoIP/VoLTE standard too.
Despite being a simple concept, behind the scenes, VoLTE is very complicated. VoLTE uses a variety of technologies all integrated together to make and receive your voice calls.
Broken down, VoLTE it works like so:
You can see from our simplified diagram that the VoLTE communication standard runs alongside the GSM (regular mobile) network.
This diagram demonstrated how VoLTE is used to make calls between two devices, instead of the GSM network.
This all sounds great, but why would anyone really want VoLTE? Well here are a few benefits of using VoLTE over the alternatives:
The main benefit of VoLTE over the alternatives is that businesses can use VoLTE to seamlessly connect to their office telephone system from their mobile.
With a hosted telephone system, businesses can use both VoIP and VoLTE to take their telephone system with them wherever they go. This is ideal for businesses with staff who are out on the road or who work from home.
The flexibility benefit of VoLTE and hosted VoIP is significant. VoLTE brings together the world of mobile and office based communications, providing your business with a seamless, integrated and complete communication environment.
Of course, 4G LTE won't be around forever. In fact, at the time of publishing, 5G has been rolled out to a few major cities in the UK.
This does not mean that VoLTE is going anywhere, however. 5G brings a new generation of mobile data connectivity and with it comes a significant decrease in cellular latency and an increase in cellular speeds.
5G will offer better quality VoLTE calls, with minimal to no latency.
5G is also on course to have a rapid rollout. Within a few years, a significant portion of the UK will have access to 5G technology, with the remaining still receiving 4G upgrades. This means that VoLTE calling could be on course to over take traditional GSM calls very soon.
Video calling will also become much more stable. Currently, video calling when you're out and about can be patchy on 4G, but 5G is set to change that.
The incredible speeds that 5G is capable of will ensure video calling is seamless, with crisp picture quality and no voice/video lag. This can help businesses stay connected with employees when they're out and about and will allow them to sit in meetings, even if they're not there in person.
Read our blog: 5 Benefits of 5G For Businesses
Overall, the future of VoLTE is exciting. It brings with it a world of possibilities, especially when paired with a hosted VoIP phone system. These benefits increase business flexibility and enable high quality audio calls between parties.
For more information about VoLTE or business mobile solutions, please give us a call on 01934 882200 or email mobile@commsplus.co.uk
