Korea will become the world's first country to commercialize a compatible Voice over LTE (VoLTE) service.
The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) announced on June 17 that it is working on the commercialization of VoLTE services that is compatible with existing ones provided by SKT, KT, and LGU+, starting with its pilot service at the end of June.
It has been three years since each carrier started its VoLTE service. To date, it has only been possible to make high-quality voice calls using VoLTE networks between people who subscribe to the same mobile carrier. The commercialization of the compatible VoLTE service is scheduled to begin in earnest in August. The service will be gradually commercialized from August, and all users who own VoLTE terminals are expected to use the high-quality voice call service in November.
The three local mobile carriers have also launched the VoLTE service for the first time. SK Telecom and LGU+ started the service in August 2012, and KT in August. Currently, 80 business operators in 42 countries around the world are working to develop the service. In the U.S., Hong Kong, and Japan, only members of the same carrier can use the VoLTE service to enjoy high-quality voice calls.
VoLTE is a data-based voice call service using LTE networks, thereby guaranteeing a faster phone connection and better voice quality. Since voice calls and data are offered on the same network, it is possible to make a call and use various kinds of multimedia services at the same time. Moreover, users can share data. As a result, different types of services that combine voice and data are quite possible in the future. As an illustration, a system that translates the content of phone calls into voice and text, or a mobile medical treatment system that examines a patient's condition via video calls are feasible.
An official at the MSIP said, “I think that Korea will lead VoLTE standards and technologies by delivering a compatible VoLTE service for the first time.”