HD Voice

HD Voice & HD Voice+

Benefiting from crystal-clear voice calls  

What is HD Voice?

HD Voice stands for high definition voice.

Using wideband technology and further acoustical enhancement on telephones, HD Voice provides consumers with high-quality, crystal-clear and more natural voice calls, on both mobile and fixed terminal networks.

Who can benefit from HD Voice?

  • Operators
  • Network vendors
  • Consumers

What are the advantages of HD voice?

Consumers:

  • Enjoy greater clarity
  • Experience intelligently reduced background noise

Operators and network vendors:

  • Deliver enriched voice communications
  • Differentiate their services
  • Gain a competitive advantage over industry players who don’t yet offer HD voice
  • Monetise the opportunity by encouraging callers to speak for longer and more often

How the GSMA is supporting HD Voice

We’re a strong promoter of the consumer benefits of this technology. That’s why we’re working to encourage its adoption as extensively as possible. In collaboration with the telecommunications industry as a whole, we’re also supporting the adoption of a universal HD Voice symbol.

Wired Headsets and CDMA2000 technology
The GSMA defines mobile network technical and terminal requirements for HD Voice+ logo usage on:

  • LTE networks with Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec.

The GSMA and the HD Voice logo

The GSMA is the custodian of the logo on behalf of the industry and is the contact for licensee applications. We define the mobile network technical and terminal requirements for logo usage on:

  • GSM
  • UMTS
  • LTE

The HD Voice Symbol

The GSMA HD Voice logo gives consumers the confidence that a defined quality voice experience is assured when making an end-to-end HD voice call.

The symbol is becoming more widely recognised, and the use of the logo enables organisations to identify and promote HD Voice-enabled devices and services to a global audience.

There is also no charge to use the logo.

The GSMA’s HD Voice Logo Licensing Program requires compliance to minimum performance requirements, including proper interoperability with existing HD Voice systems.

Licensing & Guidelines 

The HD Voice+ Symbol

The GMSA HD Voice+ Logo Licensing Program enables a consistent industry message on the enhanced voice quality of terminals and networks featuring Super-Wideband voice communication.

HD Voice+ offers twice the audio frequency bandwidth of HD Voice; this is made possible through the use of 3GPP’s Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec.

This new system is capable of enhanced voice quality, better resiliency to adverse network conditions, better intelligibility, and improved network capacity.

The GSMA’s HD Voice+ Logo Licensing Program requires compliance to minimum performance requirements, including proper interoperability with existing HD Voice and HD Voice+ systems.

Licensing & Guidelines 

Additional Resources

HD Voice FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the benefit of deploying HD voice?
HD voice delivers higher quality voice transmissions and therefore, a better overall user experience. From the customer perspective, it provides a real comfort of communication and a sensation of presence. Customer surveys have shown that the improved voice quality is much appreciated (satisfaction ratio up to 96 per cent). It results in an increase in voice usage (by more than 3 per cent observed in several countries). Customers using HD Voice have a better opinion of their mobile network operator, which therefore appears as more innovative. For more than 70 per cent of surveyed customers, HD voice is a loyalty factor, and more than 85 per cent would recommend it.

For further details refer to IR.36 – Adaptive Multirate Wide Band available as a download from the GSMA Newsroom Resource Page.

GSMA Newsroom

Can a mobile network operator or a device manufacturer use the logo independently?
The logo is intended for use by either mobile network operators or device manufacturers without additional dependence on being associated with particular devices or networks.

As shown in the illustrative examples below, this permits: I. A device manufacturer can market a device using the HD Voice logo, provided that when it is used on a call with a further HD Voice-compatible device on a network that supports the HD Voice criteria, a full HD Voice experience is provided to the user – enabling a device vendor to market a device using the HD voice logo in distribution channels other than those associated with a specific mobile network. II. A manufacturer can also use the logo for marketing any combination of devices and headsets if these meet all the requirements specified for mobile terminals and headsets. III. A mobile network operator can market their network service using the HD voice logo, provided that when two HD voice-compatible devices are used on their network (or where one device is on an interconnected network), a full HD voice experience is provided to the user. This enables a mobile network operator to market its network using the HD voice logo without having to market or supply a specific HD voice-compatible device.

Has consideration been given as to whether this logo could be reusable in the fixed-line world?
The GSMA believes that, from the user perspective, HD voice is one service, regardless of the access technology. The customer needs to see one single logo over mobile and fixed services. At this stage, DECT device manufacturers may use the HD Voice logo, providing they adhere to the relevant minimum requirements criteria in Annex E.

Do terminals supporting only wideband speech codecs (i.e. WB AMR, EVRC NW, G.722) without acoustics/speech-processing improvements qualify?
Terminals supporting wideband speech codecs only, even when the codec is activated, will not be HD Voice logo compliant (this is not relevant to marketing, only licensees). There are two main reasons for this: I. A terminal which is just wideband speech codec activated (without acoustics/noise reduction improvements) may not lead to any improvement of the call’s audio quality for some time, as the number of end-to-end wideband speech codec calls is very limited initially.

Users would be disappointed by the experience, i.e. it may ruin the whole HD voice story. II. The message to the end-users must be kept simple: devices are HD voice compliant or not; introducing an intermediate level may confuse the message, i.e. one single logo, for an HD Voice-compliant device or services only.

If my device is GSM, UMTS, LTE and/or CDMA compatible, does it need to meet the requirement for all of these technologies to display the HD Voice logo?
To display the HD Voice logo; the device only needs to meet the requirements in one of the technologies. However, for the best user experience, the device should meet the HD Voice requirements on all of the technologies.

What’s the technology to realise HD Voice?
HD Voice is enabled; through the use of wideband speech codecs extending the frequency to a wideband audio range (50 Hz to 7000 Hz) and enhanced background noise reduction. Through this, HD voice delivers higher quality voice transmissions and therefore, better overall user experience. In particular, voice’s are more recognisable, sounds of fricatives, such as s, z, and f, are more easily distinguished, background noises (e.g. pub, train, car, office, etc.) are minimised, and the speech has a more natural sound.

Is there a cost associated with becoming a licensee?
The logo is free of charge – i.e. no license fees are payable to the GSMA. The only cost you might incur is if you ask the GSMA to file further registrations in specific countries/markets.

Is the logo registered and where?
The logo is registered as a Community Trade Mark (CTM) and with the Madrid Protocol. This has formed the basis for additional international registrations, including Canada, India, P.R. China, Russia and the USA. Where licensees wish for additional registrations to be filed; the GSMA will be willing to undertake the work, providing the licensee pays the costs, typically between £500-£3000, depending on the market.

What is the global plan to deploy HD voice service?
HD voice is globally rolled out by mobile and fixed network operators and terminal manufacturers. The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA): http://gsacom.com/ provide the latest updates. As HD Voice is based on standards that are supported by all the industry, the deployment over a network is well controlled. As proof of this, there are at least 100 HD mobile networks across the world presently.