Telecom equipment major Ericsson on Thursday said it would add Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Rich Communication Service (RCS) verification services at its Experience Lab in Taiwan.
Experience Lab, earlier known as the Interoperability Test (IOT) Center, is the first facility in the Asia-Pacific region to provide such services commercially.
The lab will support telecom operators such as China Mobile, Bharti Airtel, device makers such as Samsung, Nokia, chipset makers like Qualcomm, application developers and others in bringing more advanced communications experiences to consumers, Ericsson said on Thursday.
With this new initiative, Ericsson is trying to enhance its presence in the LTE market. Ericsson is the #1 telecom equipment maker in the 4G / LTE equipment space. By September this year, 213 commercial LTE networks had been launched in 81 countries, which is a significant indicator that VoLTE and LTE video applications have substantial potential for growth.
“Ericsson’s Taiwan lab has added VoLTE and RCS interoperability tests to its current service lineup to help partners in the Asia-Pacific region to reduce testing time and expenditure. These new testing capabilities will accelerate the development of LTE devices and services, contributing to enhanced global communications and further realizing Ericsson’s vision of the Networked Society,” said Jan Signell, head of Region North East Asia.
In 2012, Ericsson supported operators in South Korea and the USA in launching the world’s first commercial VoLTE services.
The combination of VoLTE and RCS results in a richer user experience for consumers. For example, RCS allows for simultaneous actions, such as sharing pictures, videos and files alongside HD voice calls, resulting in a seamless multimedia experience.
Ericsson’s Taiwan lab has served partners in Taiwan, the United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and more, since its founding in 2005.
Each year, more than 300 devices and chipsets are tested, including 100+ LTE devices and chipsets from more than 45 vendors.
