As AT&T brings more LTE coverage to more markets, they plan to roll out support for voice-over-LTE, or VoLTE, to select markets by the end of the year. VoLTE will use AT&T’s LTE towers to convert conversations into data packets over an IP network, allowing for not just higher quality calls but also video calling and enhanced messaging services.
AT&T currently has LTE coverage in 212 markets and expects to cover 90% of the country by the end of the year. Calls over the standard UMTS network will still be available when VoLTE is not, or if a device does not support it. It should be noted that these calls will use data, and probably not a small amount. For customers on shared data plans, this could potentially force you into a higher data bracket.
Unfortunately current hardware is still not quite fit for VoLTE, which causes the CPU to heat up and the battery to drain. However it is inevitable that we will see more development from manufacturers in that field before AT&T starts rolling out the service nationwide.
While there’s no word on where VoLTE will launch first, its safe to assume it will be in AT&T’s biggest markets. AT&T CEO Bill Smith has hinted that this will be left to the marketing department to decide.
Source: Light Reading
Via: Phone Arena
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