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Lynn La/CNET
Sprint’s HD voice feature, which has been rolled out in only a few test markets so far, will be launching nationwide by midyear, the company’s chief executive has confirmed.
CEO Dan Hesse said Tuesday at the Oracle Industry Connect conference that Sprint’s HD Voice will be available nationwide “around the first of July,” according to a report by Light Reading.
Sprint’s HD Voice attempts to improve call clarity by capturing and interpreting human voice over seven octaves. Current cellular phone service can only capture four octaves. That, Sprint says, coupled with the technology’s ability to eliminate background noise, should allow for far more clarity over networks.
Although Hesse tipped the July launch, he failed to acknowledge that HD Voice has been hit with delays. Indeed, the service was expected to launch last year, but couldn’t quite get off the ground. It appears now, however, that the service is working well in test markets, allowing Sprint to think about a broader rollout.
HD Voice is about more than just network availability. As Sprint points out on its own FAQ page, currently only about two dozen handsets, including the Google Nexus 5 and iPhone 5S, can support HD Voice. Over time, that number will obviously grow, but even if the service is available in certain markets, it’s possible some device owners won’t be able to take advantage of it.
Sprint shares are up 13 cents to $9.19 in premarket trading.
(Via Engadget)
