Telstra has today announced the introduction of High Definition Voice calling on its Next G network, which promises clearer, crisper calls for no extra cost.
Claiming to be the world’s largest HD voice network in the world, Telstra is the first to launch this kind of service in Australia. According to the telco, HD voice uses Wideband Adaptive Multi-Rate coding (WB-AMR) technology, which is a wider audio frequency band than the existing network. Telstra says the technology will suppress background noise like busy city traffic, or large crowds at sporting events.
Telstra’s HD voice service doesn’t come at any extra cost, but requires two compatible mobile phones (the outgoing call and the incoming call) with HD voice technology to work. Initially, the service is limited to five Telstra devices — Nokia’s 6720, E52, E72 and N8 smartphones, along with the newly launched HTC Desire S Android phone. Telstra will also launch the HD voice compatible Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo Android phone in July.
“As it’s a new service, there are currently limited HD-compatible devices available in Australia,” said Mike Wright, Telstra’s executive director of networks and access technologies. “However as the demand increases for HD Voice, the number of compatible devices is sure to grow and we expect a large percentage of new devices to support this feature in the coming year.”
