March 24, 2010 - Nokia Siemens Networks and Samsung are demonstrating successful Voice over LTE (VoLTE) calls in an end-to-end LTE network setup at CTIA Wireless 2010. This is the first time a standards-compliant VoLTE call has been demonstrated between VoLTE clients from different vendors. The calls, using the 700-MHz frequency LTE band used in the US, underlines Nokia Siemens Networks’ continued commitment to the North American LTE market.

The test encompasses a complete end-to-end VoLTE configuration including laptops installed with VoLTE clients from Nokia Siemens Networks and Samsung. The laptops are connected to the network via Samsung’s “Redwood” LTE dongle, which incorporates Samsung’s in-house developed “Kalmia” modem chipset.

“As a leading device manufacturer, we are committed to pursuing continuous innovation,” said Yunsang Park, vice president of the Telecom R&D Center at Samsung Electronics. “Following the announcement of our first commercial LTE dongle and the demonstration of our LTE netbook, this demo is a defining moment for us. Full interoperability with Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE network infrastructure and its own VoLTE client takes us one step closer to commercial deployments and showcases the viability of our products.”

“We have achieved interoperability with Samsung for both data and voice calls across several frequency bands required for LTE deployments in different markets,” said Tommi Uitto, head of Network Systems product management, Nokia Siemens Networks. “With this demo, we further underscore that we are commercially ready for global LTE deployments and that our end-to-end LTE ecosystem is fully interoperable with leading vendor devices.”

The technical setup used for the demo is entirely based on the VoLTE profile defined by the GSM Association’s (GSMA) VoLTE initiative and recently announced during Mobile World Congress. The initiative, incorporating contributions from Nokia Siemens Networks, Samsung and other industry stakeholders, continues the work that was started with the “One Voice” initiative in 2009.

Nokia Siemens Networks offers an evolutionary approach for implementing GSMA-compliant VoLTE with its Fast Track solution. Network operators already using Nokia Siemens Networks’ mobile softswitches can use Fast Track to implement VoLTE functionality with a simple software upgrade. In this way, operators can implement VoLTE prior to deploying the full IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution that will ultimately be the standard mechanism for providing voice and multimedia services across LTE networks. Alternatively, operators can use Nokia Siemens Networks’ IMS-based VoLTE solution, particularly as an attractive option for operators evolving from the CDMA world. This approach enables operators to choose when and how to evolve their network to IMS.