Vi Successfully Demonstrates 5G Voice over NR Capability

MUMBAI:
India’s leading telecom operator, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) has announced that it has successfully demonstrated 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) with its technology partner, Nokia, during the ongoing 5G Trials in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Once deployed, the VoNR solution will enable Vi to offer its subscribers high-definition voice experience over 5G, as well as several advanced voice applications and use cases in the future.

Vi is conducting 5G Trials on Govt. allocated 5G spectrum in Gandhinagar, Gujarat and Pune in Maharashtra. The VoNR trial was done on Nokia’s comprehensive 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.

According to Jagbir Singh, CTO, Vodafone Idea Limited, “We are testing technology solutions for offering superior network experience and use cases of relevance to digital enterprises and consumers, during our 5G Trials. Having achieved 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 is helping service providers offer a plethora of new and exciting voice-based applications like real-time translation and immersive voice for more engaging augmented and virtual reality use cases. Nokia IMS voice core provides service providers with new revenue streams through innovative applications and use cases where voice plays a crucial role, much-needed operational flexibility and lower network management costs.

Earlier, during its 5G Trials with Nokia in Gandhinagar, Vi recorded speeds in excess of 4 Gbps and showcased unique consumer use cases such as AI based VR streaming, Roller Coaster Gaming, VR 5G Connected Schools and 360 degree VR Content Playback. Vi also used Nokia’s 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G core to successfully demonstrate secure network slicing use case, as well as trialed the utilisation of 5G in mid-band to provide rural broadband connectivity in Gandhinagar.