Comments on: MetroPCS enters the VoIP age. Who will be next?

By: Andrew J Shepherd

Andrew J Shepherd — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:07:14 +0000

VoLTE is a mirage at this point, and wireless consumers may wish that it remains that way for several years. From testing both VZW and Sprint LTE at S4GRU, we have found that LTE coverage is notably less than that of CDMA1X and EV-DO on an equivalent site basis. The LTE airlink is just more fragile and is not currently a comparable replacement for CDMA1X voice.

By: richardmgarrett

richardmgarrett — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:24:47 +0000

Great discussion, here is a wrinkle (and my apologies since it is not in the center lane of the topic) — the switch to LTE looks to make hundreds of millions of cell phones obsolete in the next five years. This will be a challenge – and opportunity – for manufacturers but also for supply chain (raw and finished) resources and, on the other end, recyclers and/or landfills.

By: Tsahi Levent-Levi

Tsahi Levent-Levi — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:20:57 +0000

Kevin,
The fact that AT&T can revert to circuit switching (and they need due to a smaller LTE footprint) isn’t necessarily and advantage. Doing this call switching stuff between circuit to packet and vice versa is far from trivial – it requires technologies to be embedded in the phone and in the server side, and in both in two separate sub systems (circuit and packet). This makes it hellishly complex to do right, especially with a new technology like VoLTE, which is untested as far as I know.

VoLTE has ways to go until it becomes solid and ubiquitous enough for the likes of AT&T and Verizon to adopt wholeheartedly.

By: Kevin Fitchard

Kevin Fitchard — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:12:09 +0000

Hi reuter,

Any many ways it’s not. VoLTE uses VoIP just like Skype and Google. The difference is it’s a carrier service not a best effort Internet service. Carriers can prioritize their VoIP packets over other traffic and they can attach the service (and other IP apps) directly to your mobile phone number.

By: Michael Ingram Jr

Michael Ingram Jr — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 02:57:11 +0000

Interesting. Thanks for breaking it down for me.

By: reuter

reuter — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 01:23:34 +0000

How is this different from Skype or Gtalk call over 3g or 4g ?

By: Kevin Fitchard

Kevin Fitchard — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:46:31 +0000

Hi ARJ,

I agree completely. I’m just saying they can’t do VoLTE unless they do build. They can do OTT VoIP, but VoLTE is an infrastructure play. It’s carrier-grade VoIP which is supposed to replicate the quality and availability of a current circuit-switched networks, but it requires an IMS core, which MVNOs don’t have (Virgin is the exception because it’s owned by Sprint).

By: Kevin Fitchard

Kevin Fitchard — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:40:12 +0000

Hi Michael,

I suspect your question is really “Will this save me money?” The answer almost certainly is no. I really doubt the carriers will drop prices just because they get a more efficient way to deliver voice.

But operators will be able to deliver a whole range of services tied to your phone number that weren’t available before: video, IM, presence, location awareness. My bet is that while they’ll claim those services will make them relevant in the OTT world and allow them to charge more. But I suspect it’s more a defensive move. They’ll use those services as a way to justify the current prices they charge for voice and text.

So I guess it depends on how you look at it. If you chafe at the idea of paying for a voice or text service you can get much cheaper or for free with a Skype or a WhatApp or an Apple, then you’ll probably see no advantage whatsoever. But if you like the idea of a bunch of now disparate capabilities being linked and accessible to a single unified phone number, then you’ll see some benefit (it’s just a question of whether the benefit is worth the price).

In any case, the point of the post wasn’t meant to be a dollar-per-dollar analysis of the impact on consumer bills (that post will come later), but a look at how network technology is evolving.

By: ARJWright

ARJWright — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:25:07 +0000

MVNO companies don’t need to build, they just need to present themselves as a suitable testing ground for altnate pay models that Tier 1 companies would rather not market test against their build-out and brand marketing. Hence the companies that I mentioned, they aren’t so much able to experiment just because they can, but they do have enough “hey I’m new” momentum to try somthing new tat gives Tier 1 folks a bit more time to let usage bugs settle a bit.

Definitely something worth thinking about if I were them though.

By: Michael Ingram Jr

Michael Ingram Jr — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:07:51 +0000

What is the advantage to the consumer in using VoLTE? Will this inch us closer to just paying for a data plan on our cell phone bill that handles our voice, text messaging and data needs?