Verizon already running Voice-over-LTE trials in two cities, plans national rollout next year

Voice-over-LTE is the technology that allows you what it says on the box - to carry phone conversations over an LTE network, plus simultaneous use of talk and data on your LTE device.

The VoLTE technology's big selling point is also that the quality of the sound is better than with traditional landline or cell phone devices. Verizon has been gearing up to implement this for its own LTE network, and even demonstrated it with the LG Revolution last year. You can see our demo of the technology in the video below.

Now things are apparently progressing, as Verizon is reported to run VoLTE test trials in two major cities already, and plan for a nationwide rollout of the VoLTE service, starting in 2013. That's the year when the LTE network is promised to cover Verizon's current 3G footprint, so the carrier will avoid cumbersome switches to 3G and back. The technology used for Verizon's VoLTE service is said to be IMS-based, which is one of the largest endorsements for it so far.

The generation under 30 now messages, emails, Facebooks, tweets and so on to their friends and relatives, rather than call them like in the good old times, so the carriers' revenues from voice and text will be dropping significantly in the years to come, and Verizon will be ready to take advantage of this trend with a contemporary all-in-one LTE network. AT&T had also said that it plans to roll its own VoLTE service out next year.

source: LRMobile via IntoMobile