Vodacom has made history by completing South Africa’s first-ever “native” 5G voice call using Voice over New Radio (VoNR) technology on a test network. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the country’s mobile communication evolution, underscoring Vodacom’s commitment to pioneering next-generation connectivity solutions [1].

Ask Aime: How will Vodacom’s VoNR milestone impact South Africa’s telecom sector?

Beverly Ngwenya, Vodacom South Africa’s Technology Director, explained that this success aligns with the company’s mission to connect for a better future. It highlights Vodacom’s continuous efforts to enhance its technological capabilities and deliver faster, more reliable, and secure services to its customers . Unlike traditional 5G smartphones that revert to 4G/LTE for voice calls, VoNR enables seamless voice communication directly over 5G networks. This cutting-edge technology takes advantage of 5G’s high-speed, low-latency capabilities, resulting in faster call setup times, better voice quality, and reduced background noise

The adoption of VoNR builds on the foundation established by Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which has been used in South Africa for over a decade. While VoLTE significantly improved 3G call quality, VoNR takes this further by supporting ultra-high-definition audio and enhancing battery life on mobile devices This advancement is not only a technical breakthrough but also a strategic move, optimising the potential of 5G infrastructure, which has so far been primarily used for data services. By facilitating voice calls over 5G, Vodacom can accommodate more simultaneous calls, alleviating network congestion as data traffic continues to surge

Consumers stand to benefit in several ways from VoNR. Quicker call connection times will reduce waiting periods, while superior audio quality ensures clearer conversations even in noisy environments. Additionally, the efficiency of VoNR could result in better battery performance on 5G-enabled devices, a feature that is highly valued by users [1]. Vodacom also noted that many modern smartphones, including the latest models from Apple and Samsung, are already VoNR-compatible, ensuring widespread user accessibility ].

The technical achievement behind the VoNR test was also noteworthy. Vodacom employed a “single packet core,” a sophisticated setup that required cloud orchestration and network upgrades to seamlessly integrate voice and data services across multiple access technologies. The successful test demonstrated Vodacom’s readiness to provide high-quality, uninterrupted voice services over its 5G network

Vodacom’s investment in 5G began years ago, with the company launching the first live 5G network in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town in 2020. Since then, the company has expanded its 5G coverage across several African countries, supported by temporary spectrum allocations from ICASA. These initiatives have cemented Vodacom’s leadership in the African telecommunications sector

Although Vodacom has not disclosed a specific timeline for the commercial rollout of VoNR, the company remains optimistic about its future prospects. Vodacom’s track record of early adoption, such as the 2015 launch of VoLTE in South Africa and the 2020 rollout of 5G, demonstrates the company’s commitment to rapid innovation and deployment . The introduction of VoNR also aligns with Vodacom’s broader strategy to modernise its network in response to rising data demands driven by emerging technologies such as virtual reality, e-education, and high-resolution streaming

The success of Vodacom’s VoNR test could prompt other African operators to accelerate their own 5G voice initiatives. As 5G adoption continues to spread across the continent, the enhanced call quality and network efficiency provided by VoNR could reshape consumer expectations, motivating competitors to prioritise 5G voice services.

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