Nokia has recently made a significant announcement in the telecommunications industry by successfully conducting the first cellular call using the 3GPP Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS) codec. This achievement is being hailed as a major advancement in live voice calling, surpassing the era of monophonic telephony.
The IVAS codec is a crucial component of the upcoming 5G Advanced standard. This technology enables real-time spatial audio, greatly improving the traditional voice call experience by providing three-dimensional sound. This promises users a more immersive and engaging interaction.
During a demonstration, Nokia’s President and CEO, Pekka Lundmark, conducted a live audio and video call with Stefan Lindström, Finland’s Ambassador of Digitalization and New Technologies. This call showcased the unique acoustic dimensions of the IVAS technology. Lindström emphasized the enhanced quality and engagement of the immersive voice experience, highlighting its potential to revolutionize both personal and professional communication.
Lundmark added that this new audio technology represents the future of voice calls, offering a spatial listening experience that can greatly benefit enterprise and industrial applications. The development of the 3GPP IVAS codec was a collaborative effort involving 13 companies, including Nokia. This successful call used Nokia’s proprietary Immersive Voice technology over a public 5G network, though widespread implementation has not yet taken place.
The 3GPP has stated that IVAS will introduce immersion into traditional voice services and support more general immersive multimedia services, such as conversational voice, multi-stream teleconferencing, and virtual reality interactions. Nokia envisions scenarios where spatial audio can transform communication, making remote conversations feel as realistic as if participants were in the same room and enhancing activities like teleconferences. This innovation could be a significant step forward in leveraging 5G technology, subject to network conditions permitting.
In conclusion, Nokia’s groundbreaking announcement marks a major advancement in live voice calling with their successful use of the IVAS codec for making
