Sprint content with 1x-Advanced, HD Voice in sitting out initial VoLTE rush

Voice over LTE has become the latest technology challenge for operators looking to garner more efficiency out of their networks by running voice services over their LTE data networks. Most of the nation’s largest carriers have recently begun to trumpet either limited commercial VoLTE launches or plans to soon launch service.
T-Mobile US announced last month that the carrier had expanded its commercial VoLTE service to 15 total markets, while AT&T is in the process of a measured rollout across a handful of states and Verizon Wireless plans to introduce VoLTE services later this year.
One operator sitting out the current VoLTE frenzy is Sprint, which has instead found what it claims is greater spectrally efficiency and improved sound quality using its legacy – though enhanced – CDMA network and HD Voice.
“VoLTE is not as near term of an issue for us,” explained Ron Marquardt, VP of technology at Sprint. “As part of Network Vision, we are also upgrading our 3G network and 1x-Advanced provides us more efficient use of our spectrum. Combined with HD Voice, we are seeing great call quality and spectrum efficiency.”
Sprint’s Network Vision program, which was announced in late 2010, has been a source of pride and pain for the carrier. The program will see the carrier replace basically all of its legacy CDMA-based equipment with the latest hardware and software designed to boost CDMA efficiency, support LTE and allow for easier implementation of various spectrum bands and technology.
In addition to its spectral efficiency, the carrier’s 1x-Advanced service runs across Sprint’s 800 MHz spectrum bands that are being freed up with the turn down of the legacy iDEN operations collected when Sprint acquired Nextel Communications. The 800 MHz band allow for greater propagation characteristics for voice services compared with the 1.9 GHz band Sprint initially used for its CDMA-based voice services and continues to use for its EV-DO operations.
Sprint recently announced it had expanded HD Voice support across its entire footprint, with support available through 28 postpaid and 33 prepaid devices. The offering is designed to eliminate background noise on voice calls and provide audio quality superior to wireline connections. Customers on both ends of the call must have compatible handsets and be in markets where the service is available to benefit from the offering.
Marquardt also explained that another advantage to keeping voice traffic on an already established technology was that Sprint would not have to deal with challenges in setting up VoLTE services to be compliant with emergency services or mission critical services. He added that Sprint’s measured approach to VoLTE did not mean that the carrier was not interested in the technology, only that it did not feel any need to rush into the market.
“We will be more measured with our plans, working on it more behind the scenes,” Marquardt said.
While VoLTE is not on Sprint’s current plate, Marquardt said that the carrier is working on voice over IP products, but those are more focused at this point on a voice over Wi-Fi solution, similar to what the carrier talked about earlier this year at the Competitive Carriers Association event.
“We are already working on voice over Wi-Fi in phases and on improving that feature set,” Marquardt said.
Sprint announced last month planned to launch international Wi-Fi calling that will allow customers to make calls and send text messages via Wi-Fi from 100 countries.
Marquardt did explain that VoLTE would seem to make the most sense embedded in devices that don’t traditionally include voice capabilities like tablets. By bringing a voice component into those devices without having to include a separate 3G radio would allow the carrier to support the rollout of more advanced services like rich communications suite or other data-centric applications that do tap into voice connectivity.
With plans to continue supporting voice traffic over its 3G network, Marquardt said that Sprint was not in a big hurry to decommission its legacy CDMA operations.
“CDMA will be part of our operations for the foreseeable future,” Marquardt said.
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