Safaricom today has announced VoLTE (Voice over LTE) and ViLTE (Video over LTE) which allows one to make crystal clear voice and video calls over their 4G network.
This announcement was made at their Safaricom shop at I&M Bank House along Kenyatta Avenue.
VoLTE is a technology that delivers ‘high quality’ voice or video calls over the 4G network. If you use VoLTE, you will notice how incredibly clear the voice call is and with reduced background noise. It is further enhanced if both parties use VoLTE capable devices and are located in a 4G location.
Safaricom says that VoLTE enables you to have 3X better phone quality on 3G or 6 times better quality than what you expect on 2G.
To enjoy this feature, you will need a few things. You will need a VoLTE capable device of which Safaricom supports a number and being in proximity of a 4G location. The latter is easier since Safaricom has a ton of 4G stations around the country and especially in Nairobi.
You will be able to distinguish a VoLTE call by the HD Calling symbol which appears when a VoLTE call is in progress. You can also tell when you’re on VoLTE by the VoLTE symbol that appears in your status bars.
You can switch between voice and video calls (ViLTE) during a VoLTE call but video calls are only possible if both the caller and the recipient support the technology.
Since the VoLTE network is on another platform, Safaricom says that they will continuously roll out this feature to those customers with supported phones. The company wants to double its 4G network base stations to more than 5,000 by the end of the year.
Safaricom also says that you will be able to enjoy VoLTE on your Tunukiwa bundles or Blaze bundles at no extra cost.
Safaricom has been spearheading the adoption of 4G networks in Kenya for a very long time. They announced 4G in Kenya back in late 2014 and the data speeds that came with it were way faster than the 3G we were used to. They also furthered on by supporting faster 4G (LTE-A) and you notice this with phones that support it. Other players in the industry have since joined them in the 4G support race.
Safaricom is not the only network that supports VoLTE in Kenya. Faiba’s 4G network supports VoLTE and you can use it on select devices on their 700MHz spectrum. It is nice that we have options now and the ability to make better quality phone calls.
