© Fraunhofer IIS, Kurt Fuchs

Deutsche Telekom Implements EVS in its LTE network, MPEG LA Launches EVS Patent Portfolio License

Customers using Deutsche Telekom’s LTE network can now experience phone calls that feel as if the other person was in the same room. The German carrier has adopted Enhanced Voice Services (EVS), the 3GPP communication codec especially designed for VoLTE services, which, under the name “HD Voice Plus,” provides an even better sound in mobile phone calls moving forward.

The requirements for using this new sound experience are a VoLTE cellphone contract as well as an EVS-supporting smartphone. For the former, these are the Telekom versions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 / Galaxy S7 edge and the Sony Xperia XZ. The phones must also be equipped with the latest software versions. The new service is activated when both the caller and recipient have phones on the network that meet these requirements.

The award-winning technology was co-developed by Fraunhofer and enhances speech services by covering the entire frequency range audible to humans. It supports bit rates from 5.9 kbit/s up to 128 kbit/s, which allows carriers to optimize the performance and sound quality of their mobile networks as required by their service. In addition, EVS helps wireless providers to enhance network coverage, especially inside buildings.

EVS Patent Portfolio License available from MPEG LA

Today, EVS is in use worldwide in leading carriers’ LTE networks such as NTT DoCoMo Japan, T-Mobile USA and Vodafone Germany, as well as other Asian carriers. In order to facilitate future deployments of EVS, the MPEG Licensing Administration (MPEG LA) recently announced the availability of an EVS Patent Portfolio License, providing efficient access to patents related to this telecommunications standard. The portfolio license will assist with EVS’s rapid market adoption, and so far includes patents from Fraunhofer, NTT, NTT DOCOMO, Panasonic, and Ericsson. Further information on the EVS Patent Portfolio License is available here: http://www.mpegla.com/Lists/MPEG%20LA%20News%20List/Attachments/105/EVSPrsRls2017-06-28.pdf.

Header image © Fraunhofer IIS/Kurt Fuchs

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