AT&T will bring HD Voice technology to their network later this year as part of their voice over LTE strategy according to senior VP Kris Rinne. The news comes just after T-Mobile announced their upcoming iPhone 5 would support the same technology designed to offer better sound quality when making phone calls.
The announcement was made at the VentureBeat Mobile Summit in Sausalito, California. Improved voice calling couldn't come at a better time as AT&T's overall call quality has been suspect for quite some time now. Speaking on the matter, Rinne said issues like dropped calls are largely in the rear view mirror, however. Interestingly enough, HD Voice technology has been in use in parts of Europe for several years
AT&T will also start working on developing what they are calling their advanced LTE network which is said to bond traffic from various frequencies and reduce interference. What's more, Rinne said the company is looking to embrace over-the-top services like messaging services from Facebook.
HD Voice uses a combination of hardware and software to enhance the clarity of voice calls while simultaneously reducing background noise. Wireless carriers have to devote more frequency to handle the extra audio, however. It's worth pointing out that both phones in the conversation as well as the network must support the technology. When all of these requirements are met, HD Voice technology will automatically be activated.
Verizon isn't expected to move to HD Voice until sometime next year when they move voice calls to their LTE network.