Alex Omenye
Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark demonstrated a new technology called “immersive audio and video” that enhances call quality with three-dimensional sound, making interactions more lifelike. The announcement was made on Monday.
“We have demonstrated the future of voice calls,” said Lundmark, who was also present in the room when the first 2G call was made in 1991.
Current smartphone calls are monophonic, compressing audio elements and resulting in flatter, less detailed sound. The new technology introduces 3D audio, allowing callers to hear everything as if they were physically present with the other person.
“It is the biggest leap forward in the live voice calling experience since the introduction of monophonic telephony audio used in smartphones and PCs today,” stated Jenni Lukander, president of Nokia Technologies.
The call was made to Stefan Lindström, Finland’s Ambassador of Digitalisation and New Technologies. Lukander noted, “This is now becoming standardised … so the network providers, chipset manufacturers, and handset manufacturers can begin to implement it in their products.”
Nokia conducted the call using a regular smartphone over a public 5G network. In addition to person-to-person immersive calls, the technology can be used in conference calls, allowing voices of participants to be separated based on their spatial locations, explained Jyri Huopaniemi, head of audio research at Nokia Technologies.
Executives highlighted that most smartphones already have at least two microphones, enabling the implementation of this technology by transmitting the spatial characteristics of a call in real time.
The immersive audio technology is part of the upcoming 5G Advanced standard, and Nokia aims to secure licensing opportunities for it. However, widespread availability is expected to take a few years.
