Verizon preparing to finally launch VoLTE in the coming weeks

Verizon Wireless today announced that VoLTE (Voice over LTE) will be available on the network nationwide in the coming weeks. Customers with the US mobile operator will soon be able to make higher quality calls (and video calls) with other subscribers on the same network with compatible 4G smartphones. The plan is to slowly roll out the upgrades across the board to compete alongside AT&T and others, using LTE for not only super-charged data but also higher quality calls.

LTE calling will vastly improve the user experience, so long as they remain in LTE coverage. Should LTE connectivity be lost during a call, it won't automatically fall back to a standard call. For VoLTE to really take off, Verizon needs to have all traffic flowing through its network with enough infrastructure in place to support the vast number of calls being placed. For the time being, Verizon notes that phones will be able to automatically select which route to use when placing a call, be it VoLTE or the old tech.

Verizon also plans to offer interoperability when it comes to HD calls, meaning a subscriber on Verizon would be able to video chat with a friend on T-Mobile. Calls will still be billed through minutes, while everything else will fall under data, so it's worth considering just how much data you may use - we sure hope the network will revise allowances on available plans. It's not currently known what hardware will be updated to support VoLTE on Verizon, but we can bet that new smartphones will be compatible as the company continues to push through advanced calling.

What do you make of VoLTE? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Verizon Wireless

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.