By: Camilo Caliz, Director of Communication Services, Ericsson Latin America and Caribbean When people talk about LTE networks, also known as 4G, they are mainly referring to data, specifically high-speed data. And it's not unusual. The service is, after all, an “all-IP” technology, which makes maximum use of the efficient exchange of data packets for high speed downloading of text files, videos and photographs.

1. By: Camilo Caliz, Director of Communication Services, Ericsson Latin America and Caribbean
A revolution in mobile
communication is
coming to the
region: Voice
over LTE (VoLTE)

2. networks are used by operators as a source of
income and at the same enable OTT services, they
also represents an additional method for operators
to compete and/or collaborate with each other, to
create and offer new services.
Such collaboration is therefore generating a new
ecosystem of communication services with
technologies such as VoLTE, combined with others
that are emerging, such as Rich Communication
Suite (RCS) and Web Real Time Communications
(WebRTC).
It should be clear that the construction, distribution
and expansion of voice services over
next-generation networks are a fundamental part of
next-generation mobile networks, and this is not
achieved overnight. Currently, there are about 300
LTE networks in operation, with almost double the
number of networks today planned to enter into
service in 128 countries by 2017. This shows that
personal communication currently in use has
become more sophisticated in a relatively short
time and is constantly evolving.
When people talk about LTE networks, also known
as 4G, they are mainly referring to data, specifically
high-speed data. And it's not unusual. The service
is, after all, an “all-IP” technology, which makes
maximum use of the efficient exchange of data
packets for high speed downloading of text files,
videos and photographs.
Many operators have started to deploy LTE
technology as a data-only service. However, when
talking about this technology we should be careful
not to refer to it solely as the next generation of
mobile broadband, but also as the latest generation
of voice communication services.
That could come as a surprise to some, because
voice services are viewed overall as a business in
free-fall, given that they are being replaced by
those widely used OTT (Over The Top)
applications, such as Viber, WhatsApp and
WeChat. These are, ironically, enabled by HSPA,
and even more so by the latest generation
networks.
The important point is that there is still a large
demand for voice in Latin America. Voice and SMS
services are used by 81% of the population, which
means that demand in this technology “wave” and
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) ecosystems are growing
rapidly.
A study by Ericsson showed that the number of
global voice minutes increased by double-digit
percentages in 2012 and 2013. So, while LTE

3. As a result, it is expected that the number of
connections using the latest generation network
worldwide will surpass one billion by 2017. By
2017, LTE technology will represent one out of
eight in the more than 8 billion forecast mobile
connections.
In 2012, South Korea made significant progress
testing VoLTE technology. Users in South Korea
used voice services through operator LG U+. The
United States did the same with MetroPCS.
Until then, LTE commercial networks did not pass
voice calls to a 2G or 3G network when outside the
network coverage area, but in March 2013 at
Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, engineers at
the operator Telefónica Germany demonstrated that
the SRVCC (Single Radio Voice Call Continuity)
standard allows for transfer from the latest
generation network to the 3G network.
The Ericsson-enabled test conducted with this
technology at Telefónica Germany also integrated
Wi-Fi technology to supplement the mobile network,
showing that Wi-Fi has range and offers the latest
progress and benefits to the operator, in addition to
performing similar to LTE and allowing roaming
between different operators and countries.
According to the GSMA, the estimated total LTE
connections in Latin America will be 77 million by
the end of 2017, which represents 10% of all
connections in the region by that date.
A recent study calculates that about 20% of the
world’s population is currently within range of 4G
network coverage, and considering that operators
will continue to expand coverage in the coming
years, these networks are expected to be available
to half of the world’s population by 2017.
Deploying this technology depends primarily on
allocation of the radio spectrum to the latest
generation networks. The current expectation is
that 465 commercial LTE networks will be in service
worldwide by 2017 (according to GSMA).
Today, there are 300 LTE networks operating
commercially in 97 countries around the world. Of
these, 36 are found in 17 Latin American countries.
Brazil (6), Puerto Rico (5), and Colombia (4) are the
Latin American countries with the highest number of
fourth-generation mobile networks currently in
operation.
Pioneers that
have made VoLTE
a reality
Today, there are 300 LTE networks
operating commercially in 97 countries
around the world. Of these, 36 are
found in 17 Latin American countries.

4. Currently, 12 different frequency bands have been
deployed in these LTE networks around the world,
showing that the global market is constantly
evolving.
In markets that have been digital hubs—such as
the United States, South Korea and
Japan—migration to next-generation networks is
quite advanced in comparison to markets in
developing countries, where subscriber
commitment has not grown as much.
The future of
Voice over LTE
Some of the factors that promote and drive the
growth of LTE and VoLTE will remain, including
suitable spectrum for mobile operators, availability
of affordable LTE devices, and implementation of
innovative rates.
Based on these facts, from 2015 on the rapid
development of VoLTE is unavoidable, given that
almost all necessary elements already exist to
prove that this technology is about to revolutionize
the way mobile communication is enabled, with a
pattern of development that is considered the
fastest in history.

5. ERC-14:000063 Uen
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