New Calling Technology, VoLTE From Safaricom To Offer Better Calling Experience At No Extra Cost, List Of Supporting Devices

Usually, when you make a phone call or when you receive a phone call while on the 4G network, you can notice your data sessions slow down to 3G speeds. Due to its design, 3G technology typically results in slower speeds for the duration of a call as the older technology carries both voice and data traffic on the same channel, hence reducing the amount and speed of data that can be carried during a call.

But with the new Voicer over LTE (VoLTE) and Video over LTE (ViLTE) rolled out countrywide by Safaricom this morning, customers can make calls on Safaricom 4G with Double Call Clarity both on Video and Voice Calling, and Background Noise Elimination at No Extra Cost.

You can confirm if you are on Safaricom VoLTE by looking out for the VoLTE symbol on your notification bar and the “HD Calling” symbol when calling to other mobile devices. – Charles Kare – Director, Consumer Business. #NaweKilaWakati pic.twitter.com/u7SgujectC

— Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) June 26, 2019

The services are immediately available countrywide to any Safaricom customer with a VoLTE-supporting 4G device and a 4G enabled SIM Card, and will be offered at no additional cost compared to standard calls.

VoLTE offers a richer calling experience and clearer calls achieving High Definition voice quality. This is due to the ability of 4G networks to support a higher data capacity which in turn can carry up to three times more data per call compared to 3G networks and six times more compared to 2G networks.  VoLTE also eliminates background noise, background jitter and other distortions that are characteristic of older calling technologies.

Calls on VoLTE can be distinguished by the “HD Calling” symbol which appears when a VoLTE call is in progress. Customers can also tell when they are on VoLTE by the “VoLTE” symbol in their status bars. The technology also allows a customer to switch between voice and video calls during a VoLTE call, though video calls will only be possible if both the caller’s and receiver’s device support the technology.

Through the service, Safaricom is looking to meet rising demand for video calling which is being driven by increasing data and smartphone usage.

Besides the Neon Ray and Neon Rova retailing at Safaricom shops, VoLTE is also available on select Samsung, Nokia, Tecno, Itel and Huawei devices. Customers using these devices may need to update their device software to enjoy the service.

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