Orange service provider vision for implementation of the HD Voice. Presented during IMTC 20th Anniversary Forum in Porto, Portugal

1. HD Voice: some lessons
and perspectives.
October 2013
yannick.mahieux@orange.com
Hear Better – Feel Closer

2. HD Voice over mobile in a nutshell
What is HD
Voice?
Three factors
Basic technical
components
• Wide band speech [50 Hz / 7 kHz]
• Clarity, comfort, presence
• To enhance Voice value
• Network: QoS and transparency
• Device: Acoustics, Noise reduction
• Communication: « make it known »
• Wide band codec: AMR-WB, EVRC-NW
• Network: IP transport, TrFO
• Acoustics requirements from GSMA /
3GPP, noise reduction

3. HD Voice is a worldwide reality
Over 85 HD mobile networks
• More than 60 countries
source GSA: http://www.gsacom.com/hdvoice/
Over 200 device models
• Generalized over smartphones
Customer base: 100 millions (estimation
eof 2013)
One logo defined by GSMA
• One recognized symbol for mobile
(3GPP, 3GPP2) and fixed (CAT-iq).
• Guaranteed quality  technical
requirements (network and devices).
• Supported by 45 companies
http://www.gsma.com/futurecommunications/hdvoice.php

4. When aware, customer opinion is very positive
 Sources
– Orange France FUT (July 2010): 33 couples of testers (http://www.gsma.com/newsroom/ir-36-1-0-adaptive-multirate-wide-band )
– Orange Moldova Consumer survey (April 2011): 102 Orange Moldova HD customers
– Orange Romania Consumer survey (Feb. 2012): 500 Orange Romania HD « aware » customers
HD Voice customers are very satisfied by the service
• Is HD call Quality better than before? Yes: 89% (France)
• Are you satisfied with HD Voice? Yes 81% (No: 4%) (Romania)
Aware customers expect HD Voice (France)
• Is HD Voice - as tested - an evolution that you expect from your operator ? Yes 92%
• Are you ready to change your mobile to benefit from HD Voice? Yes 76%
HD Voice has a positive impact on brand and on loyalty
• Since using HD Voice, your opinion of Orange network is Better 56% - Worse 2%
• To what extent does HD encourage you to stay with Orange? Yes 73% - No 25%

5. HD voice boosts monthly usage
Increased Voice Usage
• Customers switching to a non HD Voice
handset voice usage increase +2,8 %
• Customers switching to a HD Voice
handset (right) increase +5,6 %
 gap of about +3%
Observed in other European countries
Spain : +3,8%
Belgium : +4%
Romania : +2,1%
Moldova : +2,7%
• Monthly voice usage (incoming and
outgoing calls) of Orange France customers
switching to a handset in early 2012.
• Observed, 6 months prior to the switch
and 6 months after the switch

6. • Today, to fully benefit from HD: be
under 3G + call another HD customer
of the same PLMN being too under 3G
 Today, HD  10% of HD customer calls
Stake: increase HD call occurrence
Increase HD call occurence
• Widen the HD Voice device portfolio
• Extend to other networks (2G, VoLTE)
• Connect « HD islands » through
interoperability.
HD call probability evolution -
example
Time
Proba
x 2

7. HD voice levers to be regionally adapted
HD Voice device portfolio
- Smartphone: generalized
support in progress.
- HD over feature phones is
key for emergent markets.
HD interoperability
- The key factor
- National / int’l interop
• First HD connexions direct or by hubs
• Made easier as standardized (SIP / SIP-i, AMR-WB)
• Roadmap driven by IP to IP interco.
Mobile sales (million units)
Extension over 2G
- HD call occurrence
- Continuity when 3G / 2G
handover
• Depending on country network profiles
• RAN evolution to IP interface with CN
• Support over dual mode devices to generalize.
source: Yankee Group

8. HD Voice over VoLTE
• GSMA IR 92 (IMS Profile for Voice): AMR-WB.
• Device requirements under definition by 3GPP R12
• HD logo for VoLTE to be considered at GSMA.
• Device impact (jitter buffer, a-synchronism…)
• Handover LTE to 3G (SRVCC)
• VoLTE / 3G HD interop (benefit from installed basis)
• AMR-WB @ 23.85 kbps (non speech signals, conf.)
• Communication about HD Voice at VoLTE launch
• Super HD thanks to EVS codec by 3GPP
HD VoLTE already exists
HD VoLTE is specified
… and opportunities to
exploit
• First launches in Korea (SKT, LG U+, KT)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IeryI_DnMs
Still some points to pay
attention

9. As a conclusion, four wishes:
• HD Voice support over feature phones
• Bridges built between HD islands
• A still magnified audio user experience in VoLTE
• HD Voice logo commonly used and recognized
http://www.voixhd.orange.com/fr/Accueil
http://www.gsma.com/futurecommunications/hdvoice.php