That�s the experience so far with Orange�s subscribers in 11 markets, explains Alex Nourouzi, HD Voice Marketing Director with Orange Group marketing.
Nourouzi says that, in the year since Orange received the 2010 GSMA Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough Award for its high-definition (HD) voice offering, users have been talking on the phone longer and actively looking for HD compatibility when buying a new device.
"It appears we are not the only ones who are passionate about voice quality � our surveys show that our customers are too," Nourouzi says.
Nourouzi says that Orange hopes more operators will become passionate about voice quality � the operator is now preparing to offer HD in all of the countries it serves. And it�s also important to realize that true HD voice quality requires Adaptive Multi-Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) codec, noise reduction and improved device acoustics. By combining those three elements, operators will be able to deliver true HD voice services across international markets to their customers, he explains.
Citing customer surveys, Nourouzi says: "Our customers are happy with HD voice. It reduces background noise and the voice becomes recognizable. There�s a feeling of proximity. The �telephone voice� disappears, and it relieves the fatigue associated with longer calls.
"The results seem to indicate that those who have HD-enabled phones are spending more time on calls."
Nourouzi says that Orange�s surveys show that customer satisfaction increases when consumers get a chance to use HD. "We find that, once people experience HD, they are inclined to switch to a mobile phone that offers it," he says.
People have learned to cope with poor audio quality for so long that Nourouzi says there is no "pent-up demand" for better sound. "But as soon as customers hear an HD demo, they are impressed," he notes.
It�s a classic case of people not realizing what they want until they are presented with an attractive option, he says. "It�s similar to the experience of seeing HD television for the first time. When people go back to their own TV, they think it doesn�t look quite right."
HD voice requires activation of a new speech-coding algorithm in the phone so that the frequency range of the audio signal is expanded. This greatly improves the voice quality. For example, fricative consonants such as f�s and s�s become distinct.
Support for the new AMR-WB speech-coding technology needs to be implemented in mobile networks. Additionally, background noise filtering can be used to enhance the quality even more.
Nourouzi says the growth of HD voice presents an opportunity for device manufacturers to improve the acoustics of their phones. Doing so enhances the experience of HD voice. "There has been some compromise in terms of the size of speakers as phones get smaller, but it�s starting to come back on the agenda," he says.
"Orange is becoming more demanding about the quality of device acoustics."
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