Ericsson claims first LTE to WCDMA voice handover
02 February 2012
Handover of voice call from LTE to WCDMA used Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC)
Ericsson has said that on the 23rd December 2011, it and Qualcomm successfully performed a voice handover based on the 3GPP-standardised functionality Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC). SRVCC support enables a single radio in the handset to execute a handover of a voice call from an LTE network to a 3G network.
The voice call handover was established on December 23 last year using Ericsson infrastructure and Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 3G/LTE multimode processor.
Johan Wibergh, Head of Business Unit Networks, Ericsson, said, "By accomplishing this advanced LTE handover technology together with Qualcomm, we now ensure that operators can meet consumers' expectations on a high-quality voice over LTE service. Operators will be able to maintain their quality brand for their voice business when they launch voice over LTE."
“As LTE networks are deployed alongside 3G networks, the ability for multimode 3G/LTE mobile devices to connect to different network technologies will be an important part of providing the best possible mobile voice and data experience to consumers,” said Cristiano Amon, senior vice president of product management, Qualcomm. “Qualcomm is committed to the successful deployment of LTE networks worldwide in conjunction with 3G networks, and the milestone we’ve achieved with Ericsson is another step towards making VoLTE technology a commercial reality.”
SRVCC enables operators to deploy voice over LTE, handing over to the existing GSM and WCDMA installed base as needed, to provide a voice service with global reach to their LTE smartphone users. A Qualcomm statement described it as the next logical step in the 4G LTE voice roadmap following the commercial launch of circuit-switched fallback technology (CSFB).
Ericsson said that the first operators are expected to begin deploying SRVCC during 2012, followed by more global commercial launches in 2013. A demonstration will be available at Qualcomm’s booth at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 27 – March 1, 2012.
