ZTE and Qualcomm achieve industry’s first voice over NR call in the 700 MHz band

30 April 2020, SHENZHEN, CHINA: ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, together with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. achieved the industry’s first 5G-enabled Voice over New Radio (5G VoNR) call over the 700 MHz band, and was completed using commercial products at the Xi’an Test Base.

The call was performed in compliance with 3GPP Release 15 specifications over the 700 MHz spectrum band (n28) by utilizing ZTE’s 5G NR base station and a 5G smartphone form factor test device powered by a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 5G Modem-RF System. The test validated the full functionality and high quality of the end-to-end VoNR services, laying a solid foundation for the industry to achieve large-scale commercial rollouts in the 700 MHz band.

700 MHz is an optimal frequency band to provide wide coverage, strong penetration and service continuity, which are important aspects not only for traditional mobile users but also new vertical enterprise customers. The utilization of the 700 MHz band for 5G networks supports cost-effective network construction and operation. ZTE and Qualcomm Technologies are well positioned to enable the commercialization of 5G in the 700 MHz band, working together to develop the necessary end-to-end capabilities for networks, devices and business platforms to allow operators to deliver a full service offering including voice and data.

To fully support the commercial rollouts of 700 MHz in China, ZTE has stepped up its research and development efforts related to the 700 MHz band, and introduced a full range of end-to-end products, while working in tandem with Qualcomm Technologies in device development and interoperability tests of 700 MHz services to meet early demand for its commercialization in China. The industry’s first VoNR Interoperability Development Testing (IoDT) utilizing commercial systems over the 700 MHZ band has removed a key barrier to its scalable commercialization.

“We at Qualcomm Technologies have achieved a series of milestones with industry leaders to support the progression of 5G, and this collaboration with ZTE showcases the Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF System’s leadership in supporting all key 5G spectrum bands as specified by 3GPP, a landmark in the evolution of 5G,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The success of VoNR over 700MHz shows how we can enable global OEMs and operators to deliver high-quality voice services without having to rely on VoLTE (Voice over LTE) or an LTE anchor, unlocking 5G’s ability to power worldwide connectivity capabilities.”

“We have been working closely with Qualcomm Technologies to drive the technical verification and commercialization in the development of 5G for a long term,” said Bai Yanmin, vice president and general manager of RAN products, ZTE. “ZTE has always maintained an industry-leading position in 5G networking solution. “The success of the 5G VoNR call over the 700MHz band has removed a key barrier to its full-scale commercialization and thus strongly supports the construction of 5G 700 MHz SA networks and helps offer more comprehensive 5G capabilities to more service providers, enterprise users and consumers.”