T-Mobile has just announced and launched the ability to make and receive phone calls over 5G. Voice over 5G (VoNR or Voice Over New Radio) is now active in the limited T-Mobile service areas of Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah, with plans to expand to more areas in the United States this year. Customers with a Samsung Galaxy S21 on T-Mobile can already take advantage of VoNR. The S22 series will be supported via a future update.
Current 5G smartphones have to rely on 4G LTE, so make phone calls, hindering a standalone 5G experience. T-Mobile says customers connected to VoNR can expect “slightly faster call setup times” and customers won’t have to switch back and forth between 4G and 5G when answering and ending calls.
Standalone 5G eliminates the need for an underlying 4G LTE network and a 4G core so that 5G can reach its true potential. In other words, it is “pure 5g”.
Just as 3G networks have completely waned in the United States in recent months, VoNR’s announcement marks the beginning of the end for 4G LTE. As 5G devices saturate smartphone markets around the world, 4G LTE will end up being used primarily for telephone call processing (VoLTE) before it’s completely phased out, of course, hopefully not for another few years.
Ibda Thread ġdid