Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has unveiled 4G ClearVoice, together with Samsung and Ericsson. SingTel said the launch will mark the world's first commercial full-featured Voice over LTE (VoLTE) service and the only VoLTE service globally to provide a full suite of telephony features such as call waiting and forwarding on the 4G network. ClearVoice will become available to SingTel 4G postpaid customers from 31 May, at no extra cost. Talktime will be deducted from the monthly bundled voice minutes of existing subscription plans.
4G ClearVoice is equipped with Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC) capability, which automatically switches ongoing calls without interruption to the 3G network if users lose connection to the 4G network. SingTel customers who use the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be the first to benefit from the network. A software update is needed to allow the handset to support VoLTE calls. New Galaxy Note 3 handsets sold from 31 May will come with the update installed. The update will be progressively sent to existing Galaxy Note 3 users over-the-air between 31 May and the end of June. Users of other 4G handsets can also expect to receive the update in the coming months.
