Robi conducts successful VoLTE trial

First operator to complete readiness for offering voice service on 4.5G network

Dhaka, 16 Januray 2019: The leading digital services provider of the country, Robi, has successfully conducted the non-commercial trial of Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) technology for the first time in Bangladesh. This makes Robi the first operator to complete its readiness for offering voice service on its 4.5G network.

Hon’ble Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Mustafa Jabbar graced the VoLTE trial run programme as the chief guest. Hon’ble Chairman, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Md. Jahurul Haque was present as the special guest.

With the Hon’ble Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Mustafa Jabbar making a voice call over Robi’s 4.5G network to Hon’ble Chairman, BTRC, Md. Jahurul Haque, the first ever trial of VoLTE service was conducted.

BTRC’s Commissioner, Engineering & Operations, Md. Rezaul Quader, Commissioner, Spectrum Management, Md. Aminul Hasan were also present on the occasion. Robi’s Managing Director and CEO, Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, Shahed Alam along with the company’s senior management were present on the occasion. The non-commercial VoLTE trial was conducted at the Robi Corporate Office located in Gulshan.

Robi’s VoLTE service delivered on its nation-wide 4.5G network will enable customers to make high definition voice calls with faster call set up time. With VoLTE technology, the mobile phone users can avail both voice and data service. VoLTE treats voice as just another application that rides on the LTE data network.

The benefits of using VoLTE technology doesn’t end here. According to a GSMA study (The global trade body of all mobile operators), customers gets 40% more battery life using VoLTE compared to calls made through OTTs (Over The Top), like, whatsapp, viber, imo, etc.

Robi 4.5G subscribers will be able to enjoy superior voice quality as soon as the rest of the eco-system is ready to offer the VoLTE service on commercial basis. There will be no additional data charges for VoLTE and calls will be charged as per the existing plan or pack benefits.

Following the trial run of VoLTE, Hon’ble Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Mustafa Jabbar said: “I am delighted to be present for the first ever trial of VoLTE in the country. Bangladesh in many ways is ahead of the world in adopting technology. Among the operators, Robi has always been ahead in paving the way for adoption of digital technology. I congratulate Robi on the tremendous expansion of 4.5G network across the country. Now, I urge them to take 4.5G in every village. Going forward, we need Robi’s support to digitalize our education system so that we can prepare our nation for the 4th industrial revolution.”

Hon’ble Chairman, BTRC, Md. Jahurul Haque thanked Robi for coming forward for implementing the vision of Digital Bangladesh with the countrywide roll-out of 4.5G network.

Commenting on this momentous occasion, Robi’s Managing Director and CEO, Mahtab Uddin Ahmed said, “We are extremely delighted and proud to have completed the technical readiness of offering VoLTE based voice call services on the country’s largest 4.5G network. We believe, this is yet another significant milestone in implementing the vision of Digital Bangladesh. Following this successful trial of VoLTE on our 4.5G network, we are very confident that we will be able to offer the service to our subscribers across the country as soon as the rest of the eco-system is ready for offering commercial VoLTE service. I would like to especially thank the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, BTRC, Telecom Division and the Ministry for allowing us to conduct the VoLTE trial run. We would also take this opportunity to request the Ministry and the BTRC to take measures to increase penetration of VoLTE enabled 4.5G device in the market, so that all our subscribers can avail the vastly improved quality of service offered by VoLTE.”