Vodacom announced on Thursday that it has made South Africa’s first “native” voice call on a 5G test network. Known as Voice over New Radio (VoNR), this technology allows voice calls to be carried directly over the 5G network, which has previously been used only for data. Vodacom says it plans to introduce VoNR to its live network for consumer use, though no specific timeline was given.
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VoNR is the next evolution of voice technology, building on the VoLTE (voice-over-LTE) calls that South African mobile operators introduced a decade ago. Currently, 5G smartphones switch to an older network like 4G/LTE to make traditional phone calls. With VoNR, calls will stay on the faster, more efficient 5G infrastructure.
According to Vodacom, the new technology will offer several key benefits:
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- Faster call setup times compared to VoLTE or 3G.
- Superior voice quality with ultra-high-definition audio and reduced background noise.
- Lower latency and improved phone battery life.
Vodacom’s successful test demonstrates the network’s ability to provide seamless, high-quality voice services across its different technologies. To use VoNR, however, consumers will need a device that supports both 5G and VoNR, a feature available on many recent models from brands like Apple and Samsung.
