Nokia (NOK) has showcased a groundbreaking advancement in voice communication by successfully demonstrating the "world's first cellular call using the new Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS)" codec.
The company states that this innovative technology offers callers a real-time, immersive audio experience, allowing them to hear clearly as if they were in the same room as the person on the other end of the call. Unlike the prevalent monophonic smartphone calls where sound is compressed into a single channel, this technology delivers a three-dimensional auditory experience.
Nokia's President and CEO, Pekka Lundmark, made the inaugural immersive call to Stefan Lindstrom, Finland's Ambassador of Digitalization and New Technologies, employing the 3GPP IVAS codec over a 5G network. "We have demonstrated the future of voice calls," Lundmark remarked.
"This revolutionary audio technology transports you into the caller's environment, creating a spatial and significantly enhanced listening experience for both voice and video calls. It offers substantial advantages for enterprise and industrial applications," he added.
The Finland-based tech giant noted that the IVAS codec technology has yet to be integrated into mobile networks. Lindstrom emphasized the benefits, stating, "The live immersive voice and audio experience enabled by IVAS improves the richness and quality of the call. The three-dimensional sound makes interactions more lifelike and engaging, providing numerous new advantages for both personal and professional communication. Immersive communications technology is also set to elevate XR and metaverse interactions."
Presently, the IVAS codec technology is employed in applications such as Netflix (NFLX), Apple Music (AAPL), and Disney Plus (DIS) to deliver a lifelike audio experience to users, as reported by The Verge.
"This standardization now allows network providers, chipset manufacturers, and handset manufacturers to begin implementing it in their products," Nokia President Jenni Lukander informed Reuters.
