networks – SomeGadgetGuy

AT&T and T-Mobile have already announced their plans for VoLTE, which should enable much higher quality calls over data instead of traditional phone calling.

Today Big Red finally detailed their plans for a similar service, and they’re adding video calling to boot.

Video Calling is simplified when using VoLTE technology. The contact list in the phone clearly shows, with a video camera icon next to the name, who can receive a Video Call, and a tap or two on the phone starts the call so you can speak to friends and family face-to-face. Customers control Video Calls, easily switching to a voice-only call from a Video Call and back with a tap on the phone. The audio portion of a Video Call is delivered in HD Voice.

HD Voice and Video Calling work only when both people are in the Verizon 4G LTE coverage area and are using VoLTE-enabled smartphones from Verizon.

We’ll have to see how much support third party Video Calling receives, if services like Facetime, Hangouts, or Skype will also stream easily over LTE. It will be very interesting to see if VZW allows for free video calling over their network, and if third party video calling continues to count against your monthly data cap.

Still it’s good to see America’s first place carrier also start the transition to VoLTE, as this should help simplify networks. With both data and voice traveling over one radio standard, we should see LTE only phones as early as 2016. Full PR below.

Continue reading “HD Voice and Video Calling on Verizon Wireless “In Coming Weeks””

Sprint has been working on improving their network through their Network Vision initiative, consolidating and removing outdated legacy technologies so they can push forward with faster and more powerful connections. Sprint Spark is the next stage of their LTE network. To over simplify, cannibalizing the old Nextel 800MHz spectrum and slapping LTE on it. Part of Sprint’s network woes in the past, their LTE was broadcast over higher frequency bands with poor building penetration. Moving LTE to 800MHz should mean much better connections for customers indoors and farther away from their towers.

Sprint currently offers limited Spark connection in five cities: LA, New York, Chicago, Tampa, and Miami. They will be adding an additional 100 markets to this list over the next three years. Network consolidation takes a little time apparently. Spark aims to deliver up to 50Mbps connections, and there’s the potential for it to support up to 2Gbps in the future.

Of course, what good is new network connectivity if your phone can’t use it?

In the “coming weeks” a new version of the GS4 will be made available with tri-band support for Sprint’s various LTE channels, and it will be able to hand off connection between those bands with little or no interruption to the user. As far as the customer is concerned, it’s just a normal GS4, but with faster data in select markets. Whenever it’s actually made available, it’ll drop for $200 on a two year contract.

Hit the jump for the full PR!

Continue reading “Sprint debuts Samsung Galaxy S4 with support for Sprint Spark enhanced LTE”