VoLTE

[idaho04]

Can my Rezound handle upcoming VoLTE?

 

[FoxKat]

Well, let's differentiate Voice over IP (VOIP) from true Voice over LTE (VoLTE). Most smart phones can do VOIP, usually by way of a third party app, or even Skype, Tango, any number of VOIP apps, since it is simply taking the audio that comes from the microphone and to the speaker, and converting it into a digital signal that is then transmitted as packets of data over the Internet. True VOIP or VoLTE is a built-in function that takes this to a higher level. The end result is the same, but the way it's done is completely different as these two methods of communication follow specific protocols of communication that must be adhered to strictly, so that the communication doesn't get corrupted or lost in the process.

New phones that are built with the necessary chips and firmware to perform this function are still just beginning to be introduced and the phones that will "handle" it are yet to come to the market. In all liklihood your Rezound will not support VoLTE, since it wasn't built for that protocol, and frankly when the phone was designed the protocol hadn't even been adopted yet. You'll have to upgrade to something built either late this year or even into next year before you will be able to participate in VoLTE.

Presently there are only 500 markets in the US that support VoLTE on the Verizon network. See Verizon hits 500 LTE markets; VoLTE-compatible phones due 2014 for more info.