Ericsson is showcasing voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology at the Transform Africa conference that is taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, between 28 and 31 October.
Transform Africa 2013 is co-hosted by Rwandan President, Honourable Paul Kagame and Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Dr. Hamadoun I. Toure. The event pulls together international participants to set a new agenda for Africa to leapfrog development challenges through the use and uptake of broadband and related services.
Ericsson is showcasing the benefits of VoLTE to the Rwandan market and demonstrate how this technology can help the government to achieve the objectives of its blueprint Rwanda 2020 Vision of transforming the economy from subsistence agriculture to a knowledge-based society through the intensive deployment of information communication technology (ICT).
With VoLTE as a basis, consumers will be able to use telecom grade voice, video calling and other new richer communication services on LTE smartphones. The new generation LTE networks boast superior data transfer speeds that can assist operators in creating a superior user experience, help to reduce churn and reinforce customer loyalty.
Magnus Mchunguzi, Ericsson South Africa MD, says VoLTE has immense benefits for end consumers.
“A number of operators on the continent have launched high-speed data networks with LTE technology. However, voice and SMS business still generates the bulk of total operator revenues globally and it has become clear that voice functionality needs to be provided on LTE networks.
“With VoLTE, consumers will be able to use operator-provided HD voice, video calling and other communication services on LTE compatible smartphones and other devices. With VoLTE, both voice and LTE data services can be used simultaneously on LTE smartphones.
“Wiith VoLTE, both voice and LTE data services can be used simultaneously on LTE smartphones, with a guaranteed quality of service thus assisting operators address over the top players (OTT) players,” says Mchunguzi.
Mchunguzi will also be addressing delegates at the conference which includes several heads of state in a presentation titled: Networked Society: Building Tomorrow’s Communities.
In partnership with Ericsson, a few operators began VoLTE trials back in 2010. Ericsson supported the world’s first VoLTE launches in August 2012 and the company continues to support several operators in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific with trial activities and commercial VoLTE launches.
