Ericsson and MediaTek achieve industry’s first successful 5G SA VoNR interoperability test

5G deployments in 2019 currently use a non-standalone architecture. In 2020 the first standalone (SA) 5G networks will be deployed, and as part of the interoperability preparation, MediaTek and Ericsson have just completed the industry’s first successful Voice over New Radio (VoNR) interoperability test.

The test involved the use of an end-to-end solution from Ericsson and user device featuring the MediaTek Dimensity 1000, deployed on a 3.5GHz TDD band.

Ericsson has collaborated with MediaTek in interoperability tests spanning SA NR, 5G Core and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) to ensure that voice support is enabled as service providers evolve their 4G networks to stand alone 5G. SA NR networks will enable a range of new services and simplify network architecture, leading to lower costs for operators and better performance for users.

Although where SA is not yet available, the two partners have also successfully tested Evolved Packet System (EPS) Fallback. The first commercial 5G smartphones, including MediaTek Dimensity series chipsets, will offer dual-mode connectivity to tap 5G for high bandwidth data traffic while using 4G for voice calls with EPS Fallback. The final step, however, will remove 4G from the equation altogether, with the exclusive use of 5G (NR standalone) for both voice and data services.