In recent years, with the retirement of 2G and 3G networks and the rapid popularization of 5, we are entering a new stage of the mobile Internet era.
Recently, on the C114 forum, a number of netizens exposed the news that many operators in many parts of the country carried out 5G VoNR testing. It seems that the evolution of 5G networks is moving faster than we think. From the previous debate about SA/NSA true and false 5G, to the quiet testing of VoNR technology, we will usher in the era of full blood 5G.
So, what exactly is VoNR? Will it bring about a world-changing experience?
VoNR is less mysterious
To answer this question, let's first understand: VoNR is actually an abbreviation for "Voice Over NR" in English. In 5G terminology, "NR" refers to "New Radio", usually translated as "new air interface", referring to the frequency band exclusive to 5G.
In other words, VoNR can be understood as "5G voice calls", similar to voLTE, which is 4G voice calls, which are more familiar to us. Speaking of which, you can probably understand that VoNR can be seen as a voice call solution under 5G technology, which is an upgraded version of VoLTE, which can bring higher audio transmission bit rate, lower latency and better call experience.
(Source CSDN)
Since VoNR is a new technology and has advantages, what are the factors hindering its popularity?
As we all know, when the 5G network was first laid, there were two ways to network NSA and SA. The former backbone network is based on 4G, low cost, fast laying, but low latency and other advantages can not be played out; the latter backbone network is based on a new 5G base station, with real technical advantages, is a complete body of 5G. The promotion and popularization of VoNR is premised on the wide coverage of SA.
Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show that by the end of 2021, the mainland has built and opened a total of 1.425 million 5G base stations, covering all prefecture-level urban areas, more than 98% of county urban areas and 80% of townships and towns, and the mainland has built the world's largest SA network.
Regarding the number of SA base stations in China, the latest accurate data cannot be found at present. However, China Mobile, the largest operator in China, has disclosed that by the end of 2020, nearly 400,000 SA base stations have been built, covering urban areas above the prefecture and city level, some counties and key areas across the country.
At this point, we can think that the hardware foundation for the popularization of VoNR has been initially in place.
Of course, mobile phones to use VoNR, there is a question - whether the terminal hardware supports. It should be noted that the early 5G chips and baseband did not support VoNR, but chips in recent years have been supported.
Taking the Tianji 700 released at the end of 2020 as an example, although it is the chip positioning of the entry-level model, it still supports VoNR. In other words, as long as you start with the new machines released in the past two years, you basically don't have to worry about this.
Without VoNR, what are the implications?
Similar to VoLTE, before the popularization of VoNR, when we answered a phone call under the 5G network, the mobile phone signal was automatically downgraded. If the user's device has VoLTE enabled, it will be downgraded to the 4G network for voice calls, otherwise it will be further downgraded to 3G or even 2G network.
As far as the current situation is concerned, the three major operators have achieved the popularization of VoLTE, and China Mobile naturally needless to say, has fully deployed VoLTE several years ago. In order to get rid of the burden of the CDMA standard, China Telecom spares no effort to promote VoLTE, and even requires terminal devices to provide CDMA support and VoLTE switches.
At the same time, the work of the three major operators to clear the 2 and 3G networks is also underway. Mobile has long begun to vacate the big burden of TD-SCDMA standard 3G network, and in recent years, it has also begun to attack 2G, and telecom has also killed CDMA. China Unicom has been cleaning up its 2G network for a long time.
It can be seen that the three major operators try to use VoNR as the first choice and VoLTE as the second choice for the bottom guarantee in the voice call scheme. Frankly speaking, if the mobile phone does not open VoNR, the most direct impact we will suffer may be when playing a game on the 5G network, suddenly receive a phone call, and then the network is downgraded to 4G, and the network speed is instantly slowed down and stuttered. But if there is any substantial impact, it may not really be.
5 G, need to have greater practical value
The speed of 5G penetration is obvious to all, and the rapid laying of base stations, the ever-expanding signal coverage area, the crazy proportion and shipment of 5G mobile phones, and the crazy 5G package advertising bombardment of operators day after day all illustrate this point. And the vision of a better future brought by 5G technology is also depicted over and over again, telemedicine, cloud games, Internet of Things, autonomous driving, AR/VR, etc., it seems that with 5G, everything is plugged into the rocket of take-off.
However, when we withdraw from these grand chapters and land on the daily life of ordinary users, it is not difficult to find that the actual value generated by 5G is far from enough. After Interviewing a circle of relatives and friends, Xiao Lei also got two main negative comments about 5G mobile phones - heat and power consumption increased, and package tariffs became higher.
It is true that 5G has brought faster network speeds, but it has not given birth to new application scenarios corresponding to it. Even in heavy-duty network scenarios such as short videos and live broadcasts, 4G networks can meet the demand. Therefore, The phenomenon that Xiao Lei personally observed is that a large number of users choose to turn off 5G downgrade to 4G to extend the battery life, even if operators require mobile phone manufacturers to hide 5G switches, it is difficult to stop.
The increase in package tariffs has touched the nerves of ordinary people even more. Now, operators have systematically and heavily listed low-monthly rental packages, and packages below 19 yuan are difficult to see. At the same time, the operator's marketing power is full of firepower on the 5G package, leaving no effort to induce users to upgrade, and the package price is generally higher.
("Upgraded" King Card)
As for VoNR, the relevant industry articles that can be seen now are basically advocating that cloud games, AR, and VR can benefit from it, which is simply that there can be low-latency and high-quality voice interaction in these scenarios, and at the same time, the voice function can be given to more IoT devices. Xiao Lei does not want to say that these ideas cannot be realized, but it is important to admit that they do lack the possibility of outbreak, at least a single 5G network, can not be a panacea for all problems.
Of course, it is undeniable that VoNR does represent more advanced communication technology, and it does lead to a better user experience. In the promotion of VoNR, operators are obviously more active than when promoting VoLTE, and the landing speed should be much faster. In general, VoNR is a icing on the cake for users, as for VoNR and even the entire 5G technology, what killer applications can be brought may not be something that ordinary users need to consider.