Nokia Siemens Networks Gives Voice to LTE

With a simple upgrade to their circuit switched core network, over 220 of Nokia Siemens Networks' customer operators can smoothly start offering Voice over LTE much sooner than they thought. Nokia Siemens Networks says that they have developed a smart approach for providing voice service over LTE networks that operators can implement with simple and cost-effective software and hardware upgrades to their existing 3GPP circuit-switch core network.

The simplicity of the Fast Track VoLTE solution allows Nokia Siemens Networks' customers to make wise use of their existing mobile softswitching and NVS VoIP server infrastructure to manage voice traffic over the LTE network, a function which will eventually be handled by IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). The solution, thus, gives operators the flexibility to offer VoLTE to their customers either by implementing IMS, which brings added value with multimedia services, or by using existing softswitches and NVS, giving them an important competitive time-to-market advantage.

"Fast Track Voice over LTE supplies the missing link in the evolution of voice," said Michael Clever, Head of Next Generation Voice and Multimedia, Nokia Siemens Networks. "It can provide a transitional step between traditional networks and the all-IP world of LTE. The solution allows our customers to exploit their investment in their existing circuit-switched mobile core network, while providing next-generation service. Later, they can proceed to a full IMS solution to provide converged multimedia services, in addition to VoLTE. This is cost-effective, sensible evolution."

The more than 220 mobile operators who have deployed the Nokia Siemens Networks MSC Server mobile softswitch can take advantage of the Fast Track VoLTE solution. Or, they can choose instead to provide VoLTE by moving directly to Nokia Siemens Networks' market-proven IMS solution.

Posted to the site on 12th February 2009