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Orange has revealed it will be launching HD Voice nationwide for customers on its mobile network in 2010.
In case you are wondering what HD Voice is, it’s the use of WB-AMR (Wideband Adaptive Multi-Rate) as a codec. This provides excellent audio quality due to a wider speech bandwidth of 50–7000 Hz compared to the current narrowband speech codec of 300–3400 Hz. The WB-AMR (Wideband Adaptive Multi-Rate) delivers significantly enhanced sound quality whilst utilising the same network resources. Orange is already working with leading handset manufacturers on the development of devices to be rolled out next year. The 2010 launch follows two years of investment in the Orange mobile network with expansion and technology upgrades across large areas of the UK.
Tom Alexander, CEO of Orange UK, said: “Orange is proud to be leading the industry into the next decade by announcing a new standard in voice innovation that will transform the mobile experience for customers in the UK. HD Voice really does inject a level of innovation into mobile phone calls, making it sound as if callers are actually in the same room. Once people have tried it, they won’t want to go back.”
Interesting one, isn’t it – personally I think the terminology is wrong, and should actually be ‘Hi-Fi voice’, since we usually refer to the ‘fidelity of audio. However, they’ve gone for the buzzword gold and used the current term ‘HD’ (relating to video) to represent something to do with audio. On top of that, handsets are going to either have to be replaced (or at least software-upgraded) with devices that can support WB-AMR – so it’s not instantly going to be ‘switched on’ for everyone. BUT there is real innovation leadership here, and that should be praised – good one Orange!
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
