VoLGA Forum

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VoLGA Forum was formed in March 2009 by a group of companies in the wireless industry in an effort to define a set of specifications for enabling delivery of voice services over 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) access networks based on the current 3GPP Generic Access Network (GAN) standard.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a standards organization which develops protocols for mobile telephony. Its best known work is the development and maintenance of:

Generic Access Network

Generic Access Network (GAN) extends mobile voice, data and multimedia applications over IP networks. Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) is the commercial name used by mobile carriers for external IP access into their core networks. The latest generation system is named Wi-Fi Calling or VoWiFi by a number of handset manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, a move that is being mirrored by carriers like T-Mobile US and Vodafone.

VoLGA is an acronym for Voice over LTE via Generic Access.

The VoLGA Forum's mission is to promote the widespread adoption of VoLGA technology. The group wants to enable mobile operators to deliver voice and messaging services over upcoming LTE radio access networks using the same core networks they use today to support voice services on 2G/GSM and 3G/UMTS radio access networks.

The forum members include Alcatel-Lucent, Deutsche Telekom, Huawei, HTC Corporation, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nortel, Sonus Networks, Samsung, Starent Networks, and ZTE.

Alcatel-Lucent French global telecommunications equipment company

Alcatel-Lucent S.A. was a French global telecommunications equipment company, headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. It was formed in 2006 by the merger of France-based Alcatel and U.S.-based Lucent, the latter being the successor of AT&T's Western Electric.

Deutsche Telekom German telecommunications company

Deutsche Telekom AG is a German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and by revenue the largest telecommunications provider in Europe. Deutsche Telekom was formed in 1996, as the former state-owned monopoly Deutsche Bundespost was privatised. The company operates several subsidiaries worldwide, including the mobile communications brand T-Mobile.

Huawei Chinese multinational technology company

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Shenzhen, China.

Swedish telecom equipment vendor Ericsson was originally a member of the VoLGA Forum, but revoked their membership in December 2009.

Ericsson Swedish provider of communications technology and services

Ericsson is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company offers services, software and infrastructure in information and communications technology for telecommunications operators, traditional telecommunications and Internet Protocol (IP) networking equipment, mobile and fixed broadband, operations and business support services, cable television, IPTV, video systems, and an extensive services operation.

The group has developed and published a set of open specifications. These can be used by vendors and operators of wireless communications systems and applications to develop and deploy interoperable solutions.

In December 2009, Deutsche Telekom announced it had completed the world's first voice call over LTE. [1]

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