For the first time ever, Ministry of Communications acting director general Shmila Maimon has approved voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology, and Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) will market it. Shmila wished the company success in assimilating the advanced technology, and signed an appendix to the engineering plan last week.
Partner completed technological assimilation in its core network and radio systems in a joint project with Ericsson Israel. Following the approval by the Ministry of Communications, the company plans to become the first communications company in Israel to enable its customers to conduct voice calls on an LTE network in the near future.
According to the appendix, the service will be initially supported on LG V20 and P10 Huawei smartphones. Support for a variety of iPhone devices, from iPhone 6 and later, will be completed within a few weeks. Partner will publish full details of the VoLTE service on its network, supporting devices, and operation of the service on its website.
VoLTE technology makes it possible to conduct voice calls on data traffic. In other words, Partner customers can use the 4G network with the widest deployment at this stage for both calls and surfing. Users will enjoy better sound quality, significantly shorter times for beginning the call, and the ability to integrate multimedia and data sharing in a call.
Partner VP technologies and CIO Raz Bartov said, "Partner's mobile network is currently the most advanced in Israel, with the broadest deployment of 4G (LTE), expanded deployment of 4.5G (LTE-A), WiFi Calling capabilities, development of the IoT Pro network (the only one in Israel that supports IoT apps for the needs of individuals and businesses), and the assimilation of MIMI 4X4, which expands surfing potential to up to four times the speed. Our customers will be the first to benefit from VoLTE, an especially high voice quality, and the ability to integrate advanced multimedia apps in the call."
Ericsson Israel CEO Alon Berman said, "Ericsson's VoLTE and WiFi calling technologies are enriching the call experience on the mobile network, and improving the availability of service. We're glad and proud to be a partner of Partner in promoting innovative communications services on its network."
The integration of VoLTE technology makes it possible to conduct a continuous call and a smooth transition between the mobile and WiFi networks.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on August 28, 2017
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