The growing need for faster speeds and instant, reliable services is driving telecommunications providers to improve networks and services in order to meet the dramatic increase in communication demand. As data consumption increases, the various network segments and the interfaces between them must grow their capacities to serve this traffic.
With 5G deployment well underway, service providers must rethink voice services to better capitalize on these new opportunities. If service providers are serious about delivering on the promise of standalone 5G, voice-over new radio (VoNR) must be part of their 5G strategy. Voice is used as a fundamental service in cellular mobile communication systems.
5G Voice in Other Terms
A 5G world will continue to see voice as the master of communication, and there will be even more use cases for consumers and businesses where high-quality voice and communication service experiences are crucial. 5G voice is the regular mobile phone call service that service providers offer on 5G smartphones through Voice over New Radio (VoNR) and Video over New Radio (ViNR) technology.
For a service provider, there are many aspects of mobile network evolution to consider behind the scenes to secure a high-quality mobile voice service everywhere. The network infrastructure used for 4G voice (VoLTE) today will also be used to enable 5G voice calls on 5G smartphones and other 5G devices.
VoNR, also referred to as “Voice over 5G” or “Vo5G,” is the capability in 5G mobile networks that facilitates voice calls. Until recently, mobile operators have been deploying 5G non-standalone (NSA) networks — 5G networks reliant on a 4G core. Although this evolution of next-generation mobile technology was a big step forward toward "true" 5G, customers using 5G today still enjoy VoLTE calls and even 2G and 3G calls. As customers continue to expect more from their 5G experience, it’s critical that mobile operators match expectations with reality. Also, VoNR services operate through an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), using a 5G radio and core network architecture to provide voice services for cloud-native 5G autonomous networks.
Benefits With Challenges
Operators obviously need to see a benefit for including VoNR in their 5G deployments because there are high costs for its inclusion and maintenance. They need to see a return on their investment. Using Voice over 5G New Radio, the voice calls will be able to take advantage of the lower latency of the 5G networks as well as being able to provide better sound quality. In addition, it will accelerate the migration towards VoLTE and VoNR, as the migration from 2G/3G voice services in the legacy network to VoLTE and VoNR can enhance network efficiency, lower OPEX and make good use of the low-frequency band.
Furthermore, VoNR will support emerging 5G applications Indeed, many 5G applications (such as AR/VR) depend on real-time and high-quality video and voice calls. VoNR can provide enhanced user plane capacity to support all of these applications. In the much longer term, Vo5G or VoNR will enable a 5G-only network, i.e., a 5G standalone network, or 5G SA, to provide all the services that are required of it. With 5G set to become the dominant mobile technology generation having a first-rate voice capability is crucial. Moreover, it will also be possible to provide high-speed data activities at the same time, which are often simultaneously required for presentations, demonstrations and video conferencing.
There are several challenges associated with the implementation of VoNR technology:
- Interoperability: Ensuring that VoNR is compatible with existing 4G and 2G/3G networks is a major challenge. This requires careful planning and coordination between different network operators and vendors.
- Latency: VoNR is designed to provide ultra-low latency, which is critical for certain use cases such as gaming and industrial automation. However, achieving such low latency levels can be tricky, requiring careful network design and optimization.
- Quality of Service (QoS): Ensuring a consistent level of voice quality over a 5G network can be difficult, as the network conditions can vary greatly depending on the location and the number of users.
- Interoperability: Ensuring that VoNR is compatible with existing 4G and 2G/3G networks is also a challenge that should be met with careful planning and coordination between different network operators and vendors.
- Latency: VoNR is designed to provide ultra-low latency, which is critical for certain use cases such as gaming and industrial automation. However, achieving such low latency levels can be arduous and requires careful network design and optimization.
- Quality of Service (QoS): Ensuring a consistent level of voice quality over a 5G network can be demanding as well, as the network conditions can vary greatly depending on the location and the number of users.
Current Market
A VoNR call has been made and verified over a live multi-vendor ecosystem consisting of core and radio 5G SA-related nodes from many telco providers so far, including Huawei and Ericsson. This innovative milestone is an important step towards the commercial introduction of seamless 5G voice services in the cloud-native network. Also, the 5G VoNR achievement is the latest in a series of milestones completed by Qualcomm Technologies and ZTE in their ongoing collaboration to support the evolution of 5G. The successful 5G VoNR call is an important step toward bringing 5G native voice services to more service providers, enterprises and consumers. It will also support the further development of 5G SA.
In addition, T-Mobile has made another technology breakthrough by turning on commercial voice-over-5G (VoNR) service in limited areas of Portland, Oregon. The addition of VoNR takes T-Mobile’s standalone 5G network to the next level by enabling it to carry voice calls, keeping customers seamlessly connected to 5G. VoNR customers will notice faster call setup times in the short run, which means less delay between dialing a number and the phone ringing. Also, Verizon launched 5G Voice over NR (VoNR) on its latest commercial 5G network.
Likewise, the Indian telecom operator Vodafone has successfully demonstrated 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) in partnership with Nokia. “Once deployed, the VoNR solution will enable the Indian carrier to offer its subscribers high-definition voice over 5G, as well as several advanced voice applications and use cases in the future,” it was announced. The VoNR trial was done using Nokia’s portfolio of solutions, including its AirScale 5G RAN, 5G Core and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice core.
VoNR vs VoLTE
VoLTE (Voice over LTE) and VoNR (Voice over New Radio) are both technologies that allow for voice calls to be made over a 4G LTE or 5G network, respectively. The main difference between the two is that VoLTE is based on 4G LTE technology, while VoNR is based on 5G technology. Amid this, there are other differences, like the frequency of operation. Firstly, VoLTE is defined by LTE radio, while VoNR is defined by 5G new radio in the SA (Standalone) scenario, as per LTE radio in the NSA (Non-Standalone) scenario. The second difference is that VoLTE provides high-definition voice quality and faster call setup times compared to traditional circuit-switched voice calls over 2G or 3G networks. VoNR is the new standard for voice calls in 5G; it provides better voice quality and faster call setup times than VoLTE. The third difference is the core: VoLTe is an EPC (Evolved Packet Core), while VoNR is a 5GC (5G core).
There will likely be a learning curve ahead for VoNR, especially during the early stages, and there will surely be a period of optimization for VoNR just as there was for VoLTE. 5G is an enabler for future innovations. New use cases, such as VR/AR, Industrial and IoT, will no doubt drive demand for new services, but also for existing services. Voice services will evolve alongside those new use cases on the 5G network. Regardless of what 5G may be, voice-over 5G will be one of the key services for 5G’s successful technology migration, evolution and innovation.
