Nokia announced that CEO Pekka Lundmark made the first-ever phone call using “immersive audio and video” technology. This new innovation promises to transform call quality by delivering three-dimensional sound, making interactions feel incredibly lifelike. Lundmark, who was also present at the inaugural 2G call in 1991, highlighted the importance of this advancement. “We have demonstrated the future of voice calls,” he stated, emphasizing the leap from the current monophonic phone calls, which compress audio and sound less detailed.
Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, remarked on the significance of the development, stating, “This is the biggest leap forward in live voice calling since the introduction of monophonic telephony audio used in smartphones and PCs today.” The call featured Stefan Lindström, Finland’s Ambassador of Digitalisation and New Technologies. Lukander explained that this technology is becoming standardized, allowing network providers, chipset manufacturers, and handset makers to begin integrating it into their products.
Nokia conducted this pioneering call using a regular smartphone over a public 5G network. According to Jyri Huopaniemi, head of audio research at Nokia Technologies, this immersive audio can also be applied to conference calls, where participants’ voices can be distinctly separated based on their spatial locations. The implementation of this technology is feasible with the majority of smartphones, which already have at least two microphones. These devices can transmit the spatial characteristics of a call in real time, explained the executives.
This immersive audio technology is part of the upcoming 5G Advanced standard, and Nokia is looking into licensing opportunities. Despite the promising potential, it is expected to take a few years before this technology is widely available to consumers.
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