Nepal Telecom starts VoLTE service in Nepal | Questions and Answers

Nepal Telecom, the leading telecos in Nepal has become the first operator to provide the VoLTE(Voice over Long Term Evolution) service to general public. NT have already tested the VoLTE service in Nepal.

Nepal Telecom(NT) will launch the 4G VoLTE from May17,2021 on the occasion of ITU day (International Telecommunication Union).

According to telecom, VoLTE will be available in all LTE covering areas. As, VoLTE uses existing LTE for operation.

So by far, NT is the first operator in Nepal to provide the VoLTE service. Other telecom operator, Ncell and Smartel are only providing 4G LTE services only. The total 4G subscribers in Nepal as of Feburary 2021 is 7,092,805. And among them, Nepal Telecom have 2,544,724 subscribers whereas Ncell doubles the NT as count for 4,325,936 subscribers.

what is VoLTE? How it differs from LTE?

VoLTE is Voice over LTE or Long Term Evolution. LTE is almost like 4G network as 4G network have higher speed than LTE. We know, mobile phones are generally used to do voice call or to surf data/internet. In LTE, the voice call which we do using phone is transmitted by the circuit switching and the data we use to surf internet is transmitted in the form of packets. Thus there will be higher speed of data in LTE. On the contrary, the voice will not be much more clear. So VoLTE will now provide the crystal clear HD voice along with high speed data as in of VoLTE as both voice and data are sent in the form of packets. Now, to transmit voice, circuit switching will not be used.

Will all existing 4G users of Nepal Telecom can avail this VoLTE?

Yes, all the existing 4G users can avail this VoLTE but their handsets must support this feature. Also, both calling and receving party should enable and support VoLTE inorder to function. If calling party only have VoLTE enabled and receiving party don’t, then VoLTE wont work. So make sure you both party have handsets support and enabled VoLTE.

Which band does NT is using for LTE and VoLTE?

NTA have directed telecos to use the 1800MHz band for LTE using technology neutral. This means, 1800Mhz band, which is used for 2G communication can be modified to provide both 2G and 4G LTE service. However, Nepal Telecom NT is using two bands for LTE in 800 MHz and 100 MHz.

• NT FDD Band 3 (LTE 1800MHZ)
• LTE FDD Band 20 (LTE 800MHZ)

Band 3 or LTE 1800 have higher frequency(lower bandwidth) and have been deployed in urban/dense areas whereas band 20 or LTE 800MHz is used in urban areas for long distance coverage.

Read Also: VoLTE in Nepal and every details

How to check if your phone supports LTE or not?

Nepal Telecom have created a portal where you can check if your handset supports LTE or not. You can visit this NT LTE compatible check portal and enter the first 8 digit IMEI number of your phone.

Will your LTE supporting handset supports VoLTE?

Yes, may be it supports but we cannot assure this. As many devices made earlier supporting LTE are not supported. So this can be wait and see.

Conclusion:

So its all our great pleasure that at least being delay, NT will be launching VoLTE from May17 2021. Altogether, there are In total 203 operators are investing in VoLTE globally and there are 123 countries where VoLTE has currently been commercially deployed.