Verizon iPhone 5 eventually will be able to do Voice over LTE?

[quagmire]

This has been on my mind for a bit. As of now LTE is not capable of doing Voice over LTE so when you call someone, it drops down to 3G. As we know with the 5, Apple didn't add a 3rd antenna to be able to do data+voice at the same time while on Verizon's/Sprint's CDMA 3G network.

I believe in 2013 Verizon will start upgrading their LTE network to allow for Voice over LTE. The Qualcomm chip in the 5 is capable of doing Voice over LTE I believe. So will 5 users eventually be able to do voice+data once Verizon is done doing the upgrades, or will Apple hold that feature until the 5S/ next generation as another reason to buy a new iPhone?

 

[Robb.]

It's a limitation of the CDMA network design.

 

[quagmire]

It's a limitation of the CDMA network design.

I know that you can't do voice and data on 3G. But, once Verizon upgrades their LTE network to do voice over LTE, our phones would have no reason anymore to drop down to 3G to make a phone call since the hardware is ready to do voice over LTE( at least the Qualcomm chip is). So when you make a call on LTE, you can do data at the same time since LTE is capable of doing it once upgraded.

 

[RyanTheGeneral]

Yeah I dont think even if they could they would.

http://www.techhive.com/article/2010321/verizon-exec-says-unlimited-is-just-a-word.html

I had cingular and now obviously att. This is one feature I use constantly. Almost never just talking on phone.

 

[flamingoezz]

I know that you can't do voice and data on 3G. But, once Verizon upgrades their LTE network to do voice over LTE, our phones would have no reason anymore to drop down to 3G to make a phone call since the hardware is ready to do voice over LTE( at least the Qualcomm chip is). So when you make a call on LTE, you can do data at the same time since LTE is capable of doing it once upgraded.

that is correct quagmire..hypothetically

 

[DDustiNN]

This has been on my mind for a bit. As of now LTE is not capable of doing Voice over LTE so when you call someone, it drops down to 3G. As we know with the 5, Apple didn't add a 3rd antenna to be able to do data+voice at the same time while on Verizon's/Sprint's CDMA 3G network.

I believe in 2013 Verizon will start upgrading their LTE network to allow for Voice over LTE. The Qualcomm chip in the 5 is capable of doing Voice over LTE I believe. So will 5 users eventually be able to do voice+data once Verizon is done doing the upgrades, or will Apple hold that feature until the 5S/ next generation as another reason to buy a new iPhone?

Do people really use this often enough for it to be a selling point?

(serious question, no sarcasm, honestly)

I've been on Verizon since before they were Verizon. I got one of the first Droids when they started coming out, then switched to the iPhone 4 when that came out. Today I got my iPhone 5.

During all of that time, I think I've only ever encountered ONE single situation where I would've liked to use data while talking on the phone. I was talking to a friend about going to the movies, and he wanted to know what time... of course I had to hang up, check, and call him back. Not a huge deal, but it certainly would have been convenient to not hang up.

But seriously, one time over the past two years...

With the rise and convenience of text messaging, that's how I usually make plans with my friends. Since we're all at work, texts can be answered whenever it's convenient and don't require immediacy.

Usually when I'm on the phone, it's because I want/need to talk to someone. Not multitask with my phone. Or maybe I'm driving, so I can't text, then a call may be required. But even in that case, I'm obviously not going to be using anything data-related... driving and all... heh.

I've always wondered about this, but I figure it just boils down to personal preference and usage.

That being said... those of you who really do see this as a deal-breaker... what do you use it for? And is it really that frequent? What am I missing?

 

[quagmire]

I can probably count on one hand how many times I have had to do voice and data at the same time being out of an area that has WiFi available. And it isn't a deal breaker for me( or I wouldn't be switching from AT&T to Verizon) or something that would get me to upgrade to the next iPhone.

It's just one of the features that is nice to have when you need it even if it is used infrequently.

 

[DDustiNN]

I can probably count on one hand how many times I have had to do voice and data at the same time being out of an area that has WiFi available. And it isn't a deal breaker for me( or I wouldn't be switching from AT&T to Verizon) or something that would get me to upgrade to the next iPhone.

It's just one of the features that is nice to have when you need it even if it is used infrequently.

Same here and I agree with everything you said. It would be a nice to have when a situation like that arises, but it's so infrequent for me that I really have no opinion one way or the other. If Verizon gets it, cool. If not, no big deal (to me at least).

I'd rather have higher data caps. I activated my iPhone 5 at work today, downloaded a bunch of apps, loved how fast 4G was, then looked on Verizon to find out I used 566 MB of data for that. Normally I use less than that in an entire month. It worried me a bit, but then I figure I'll probably only increase my usage very slightly due to 4G. Hopefully I'll be fine, haha.

 

[chakraj]

This has been on my mind for a bit. As of now LTE is not capable of doing Voice over LTE so when you call someone, it drops down to 3G. As we know with the 5, Apple didn't add a 3rd antenna to be able to do data+voice at the same time while on Verizon's/Sprint's CDMA 3G network.

I believe in 2013 Verizon will start upgrading their LTE network to allow for Voice over LTE. The Qualcomm chip in the 5 is capable of doing Voice over LTE I believe. So will 5 users eventually be able to do voice+data once Verizon is done doing the upgrades, or will Apple hold that feature until the 5S/ next generation as another reason to buy a new iPhone?

No it is not Verizon, I can do VOLTE on my GS3. Apple said they would have had to add a third antenna to the 5 for that and they didnt want to. SO not untill the next iphone.

But dont blame VZW it was apple

 

[quagmire]

No it is not Verizon, I can do VOLTE on my GS3. Apple said they would have had to add a third antenna to the 5 for that and they didnt want to. SO not untill the next iphone.

But dont blame VZW it was apple

No phone can do Voice over LTE on Verizon as the network isn't capable of it yet. What you can do is use LTE data while talking on Verizon's 3G CDMA network due to Samsung putting that third antenna in the phone.

 

[aristokrat]

No it is not Verizon, I can do VOLTE on my GS3. Apple said they would have had to add a third antenna to the 5 for that and they didnt want to. SO not untill the next iphone.

But dont blame VZW it was apple

So it's Apple's fault that Verizon's initial LTE rollout was half-assed and only included half of the specification (data)? The GS3 does it by having separate CDMA and LTE antennas that allow for 2 simultaneous connections to Verizon's network (nice extra power usage there), whereas the full LTE specification calls for both voice (essentially VOIP) and data over the same connection, like AT&T implemented.

It all boils down to a decision Verizon made years ago to go with CDMA because they thought it would make it harder for customers to switch carriers since their phone wasn't as portable and thus they would make more money (read: greed). This has nothing to do with Apple who built the antennas into the exterior of the device and were thus unable to accommodate the backwards technology that some US cell providers still desperately cling to.

 

[quagmire]

So it's Apple's fault that Verizon's initial LTE rollout was half-assed and only included half of the specification (data)? The GS3 does it by having separate CDMA and LTE antennas that allow for 2 simultaneous connections to Verizon's network (nice extra power usage there), whereas the full LTE specification calls for both voice (essentially VOIP) and data over the same connection, like AT&T implemented.

I don't believe AT&T hasn't implemented it either since the AT&T iPhone 5 also drops down to 3G when making phone calls. But since it is GSM 3G, you can do voice+data.

 

[chakraj]

No phone can do Voice over LTE on Verizon as the network isn't capable of it yet. What you can do is use LTE data while talking on Verizon's 3G CDMA network due to Samsung putting that third antenna in the phone.

I have had this argument before, but I use VOIP services on LTE all the time. In fact I use exactly 0 minutes of my plan each month and still talk on the phone.

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So it's Apple's fault that Verizon's initial LTE rollout was half-assed and only included half of the specification (data)? The GS3 does it by having separate CDMA and LTE antennas that allow for 2 simultaneous connections to Verizon's network (nice extra power usage there), whereas the full LTE specification calls for both voice (essentially VOIP) and data over the same connection, like AT&T implemented.

It all boils down to a decision Verizon made years ago to go with CDMA because they thought it would make it harder for customers to switch carriers since their phone wasn't as portable and thus they would make more money (read: greed). This has nothing to do with Apple who built the antennas into the exterior of the device and were thus unable to accommodate the backwards technology that some US cell providers still desperately cling to.

NO its apples fault that they did not want to have an iphone with a third antenna.

Att and Verizon use different protocals, one is GSM and one is CDMA.

 

[quagmire]

I have had this argument before, but I use VOIP services on LTE all the time. In fact I use exactly 0 minutes of my plan each month and still talk on the phone.

But, doesn't those VOIP service use the data side of the network?

 

[chakraj]

I don't believe AT&T hasn't implemented it either since the AT&T iPhone 5 also drops down to 3G when making phone calls. But since it is GSM 3G, you can do voice+data.

I have done speed tests while also talking on the phone over LTE and my speeds where still 35MB down, so yes it does work on the verizon network if your phone supports it.

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But, doesn't those VOIP service use the data side of the network?

Yes LTE data, while I am also using LTE data on the phone or to tether mostly.

While it may not be Verizon official VOLTE, it is still VOLTE.

 

[quagmire]

Yes LTE data, while I am also using LTE data on the phone or to tether mostly.

While it may not be Verizon official VOLTE, it is still VOLTE.

Which would make the iPhone 5 capable of doing VoLTE as well if using a VOIP service since it is using LTE data.....

Not exactly what I was talking about..... I was talking about official VoLTE when calling using Verizon's network. But, at least we got that cleared up.

 

[SLC Flyfishing]

Wasn't there a Q and A with Verizon's CEO last week on this site where he admitted that Verizon's plan was to upgrade the network within 2 years to do voice and data simultaneously?

I mean there are an awful lot of iPhones out there, and Apple may have just forced Verizon's hand with their decision to sacrifice performance for size and battery life (which I completely approve of BTW).

My only gripe is that I can't take a call while using navigation or I lose my directions. Having just moved to a new city, I've been using maps an awful lot lately.

But I'll survive.

Edit: here it is
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/13/verizon-iphone-5-will-not-offer-simultaneous-voice-and-data/

 

[quagmire]

Wasn't there a Q and A with Verizon's CEO last week on this site where he admitted that Verizon's plan was to upgrade the network within 2 years to do voice and data simultaneously?

I mean there are an awful lot of iPhones out there, and Apple may have just forced Verizon's hand with their decision to sacrifice performance for size and battery life (which I completely approve of BTW).

Right. The question in my original post is will the iPhone 5 be able to do it since the Qualcomm chip in it is capable of VoLTE once the network is upgraded or is it something Apple will purposely leave out to put in the next iPhone.....

 

[SLC Flyfishing]

Right. The question in my original post is will the iPhone 5 be able to do it since the Qualcomm chip in it is capable of VoLTE once the network is upgraded or is it something Apple will purposely leave out to put in the next iPhone.....

Well I think you answered your own question there. The chip is capable, the network just needs to be made capable.

Apple isn't trying to screw anyone over per-se. I'm sure they'd like to be able to offer voice and data simultaneously for Sprint and Verizon (AT&T already can). They lose out on market share by intentionally denying 1/2 their customer base this feature.

I'm sure the decision was as reported: streamline the manufacturing process, and make the phone smaller, lighter, and more battery efficient and cross the fingers that Verizon will eventually upgrade and join the 21st century.

 

[quagmire]

Well I think you answered your own question there. The chip is capable, the network just needs to be made capable.

Apple isn't trying to screw anyone over per-se. I'm sure they'd like to be able to offer voice and data simultaneously for Sprint and Verizon (AT&T already can). They lose out on market share by intentionally denying 1/2 their customer base this feature.

Apple is famous though for withholding features despite the hardware being capable of it. The 3G got something( having to deal with bluetooth I believe it was) the original didn't despite the only difference being the 3G radio hardware wise( while Apple claimed it was hardware). The original iPad didn't get iOS 6 while the 3GS did while having inferior hardware.....

 

[DarwinOSX]

It's a limitation of the CDMA network design.

It's the way Verizon implemented CDMA. The CDMA spec allows voice and data. At one point Verizon said they were going to fix their implementation but never did.
Also CDMA is not a network, it is a spec.

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Apple is famous though for withholding features despite the hardware being capable of it. The 3G got something( having to deal with bluetooth I believe it was) the original didn't despite the only difference being the 3G radio hardware wise( while Apple claimed it was hardware). The original iPad didn't get iOS 6 while the 3GS did while having inferior hardware.....

That is nonsense.

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Right. The question in my original post is will the iPhone 5 be able to do it since the Qualcomm chip in it is capable of VoLTE once the network is upgraded or is it something Apple will purposely leave out to put in the next iPhone.....

The chip has to have a compatible antenna and it doesn't. The Verizon phone has the best selection of antennas for international use at least.

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It all boils down to a decision Verizon made years ago to go with CDMA because they thought it would make it harder for customers to switch carriers since their phone wasn't as portable and thus they would make more money (read: greed). This has nothing to do with Apple who built the antennas into the exterior of the device and were thus unable to accommodate the backwards technology that some US cell providers still desperately cling to.

I'm not in the habit of defending Verizon but they went with CDMA because it had greater coverage with fewer towers and better voice quality.

 

[quagmire]

That is nonsense.

How is it nonsense? The iPad 1 has better hardware than the 3GS, but the 3GS got iOS 6 and the iPad 1 didn't.

The 3G got a feature having to deal with bluetooth while the original didn't I believe in iOS 3 that Apple claimed was due to hardware reasons, but the original and 3G are identical hardware wise besides the 3G radio.

 

[DarwinOSX]

Do people really use this often enough for it to be
With the rise and convenience of text messaging, that's how I usually make plans with my friends. Since we're all at work, texts can be answered whenever
That being said... those of you who really do see this as a deal-breaker... what do you use it for? And is it really that frequent? What am I missing?

A lot of business people do. Talking on conference calls etc.

You know once VOLTE arrives everything will be data which means voice will also count to your 2 gb of data on the new shared plans. Part of the carriers plan...
Also LTE costs far less for the carriers to implement than continuing to do 3G because the equipment is cheaper and towers have greater range so fewer towers.

 

[zephxiii]

I don't think you'll ever see this iPhone5 do VoLTE...i am sure this is going to be held back to be a selling point on the next iPhone.

The only US company that has VoLTE live and running is MetroPCS.

 

[PacificBeach]

I don't think you'll ever see this iPhone5 do VoLTE...i am sure this is going to be held back to be a selling point on the next iPhone.

The only US company that has VoLTE live and running is MetroPCS.

YES the iphone 5 for ATT, Sprint and VZW uses the Qualcomm MDM9615 LTE radio. This radio IS Capable of VoLTE. The problem is no carrier has started pushing VoLTE