It’s been a long time since 4G officially came out with revolutionary internet speeds. 4G brought LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology to mobile devices, which, while still being slower than true 4G speeds, was significantly faster than 3G. Then came 4G VoLTE, which solves a major problem in LTE. In this article, let’s look at what is 4G VoLTE.
What Is VoLTE ? Difference Between LTE and VoLTE?
VoLTE stands for Voice Over LTE, which, as the name suggests, is used to carry out voice calls over a 4G LTE network. You might ask, “But wait, can’t 4G LTE carry out voice calls?” and the answer is no.
Every time you make a voice call while on LTE, your phone has to switch back to 3G/2G; that’s because LTE doesn’t support voice calling. One of the drawbacks of this was that getting on to a call with minimal 3G or 2G signal strength would be extremely challenging. The calls would drop frequently, and 3G/2G wouldn’t switch quickly to LTE leading to a bad experience in both call quality and internet usage.
This is where VoLTE slots in. It not only allows you to make and receive calls over LTE while having your phone connected to the internet, but it also gives superior call quality to 3G and 2G. You might have heard VoLTE being often referred to as HD calling. Here are some of the other advantages of VoLTE.
Wi-Fi Calling
VoWifi is hands down one of the best features of 4G VoLTE. If your mobile signal strength is very low, if your carrier has enabled VoWifi, you can carry out phone calls using your Wi-Fi, even if your mobile network’s strength drops to zero, which is pretty cool. However, this feature must be manually enabled in the device settings.
Better Connectivity
VoLTE offers better connectivity and coverage. From connecting to calls to better internet speeds, it feels like a generational update rather than an improved version of LTE. LTE, in general, operates from around 700 MHz up to 2500 MHz. Hence, its reach is far better than 2G/3G.
Improved Battery Life
One of the complaints that people had about LTE is the battery life. A huge part of this reason is that each time your phone makes or receives a call, it has to switch between 4G and 2G/3G. Searching for the appropriate signal takes a significant effort, affecting the battery life.
When was the first time you used 4G LTE? What was your first reaction to the speed gains over 3G? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
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