Alcatel-Lucent has announced the results of an independent research study which found that its commercially deployed Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) technology provides better service than 3G Circuit Switched (CS) voice and Internet calling services and Skype software.

The analysis found that VoLTE users have considerably better call quality, faster connectivity and substantially less drain on the batteries of their mobile devices. In addition, VoLTE delivers a consistently higher call quality than Circuit Switched voice and Over-the-Top (OTT) applications.

SRG conducted its research from June to July 2014 to evaluate the performance of VoLTE against 3G CS voice and Skype. The research was done within a commercially active VoLTE market where Alcatel-Lucent provides the radio access network, the core network and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem), including the primary VoLTE functionality. Tests were conducted for everyday conditions, including stationary and mobile locations, strong and weak radio coverage, and under a variety of network loading and multi-tasking conditions.

The report evaluates several attributes including call setup time, call reliability, call quality, network resource requirements, and the impact on battery life. The report’s highlights include:

• VoLTE call quality greatly exceeded that of 3G CS voice and was measurable higher than the HD voice service offered by Skype
• With network loading, and in particular with background applications running on the mobile phone and transferring data with the network, the VoLTE results were considerably better than Skype
• VoLTE call setup time was nearly twice as fast as 3G Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) call setup
• VoLTE used substantially fewer network resources than Skype voice, which in turn resulted in longer estimated device battery life for the subscriber and a more efficient network for the operator
• When leaving LTE coverage, VoLTE calls were successfully handed over to 3G CS voice. The network’s enhanced Single Radio Voice Call Continuity ensures calls continue without interruption