Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark unveiled a groundbreaking advancement in telecommunications with the demonstration of “immersive audio and video” technology, promising to revolutionize the quality of voice calls. This innovative technology aims to create a more lifelike and immersive calling experience by introducing three-dimensional sound, enhancing interactions between callers.
Lundmark, a witness to the evolution of telephony since the first 2G call in 1991, hailed the new technology as the future of voice communication. Unlike current monophonic smartphone calls that lack depth and detail, the immersive audio and video technology promises to transport callers into a virtual environment where conversations feel more natural and realistic.
Jenni Lukander, president of Nokia Technologies, emphasized the significance of this technological leap, comparing it to the introduction of monophonic telephony audio. The technology offers a substantial improvement in the live voice calling experience, setting a new standard for audio quality in smartphones and PCs.
The groundbreaking call, made between Lundmark and Stefan Lindström, Finland’s Ambassador of Digitalisation and New Technologies, showcased the potential of immersive audio and video in live communication. Nokia demonstrated the feasibility of the technology over a public 5G network using a regular smartphone.
In addition to enhancing person-to-person calls, the technology holds promise for conference calls, where participants’ voices can be spatially separated, providing a more immersive group communication experience. Jyri Huopaniemi, head of audio research at Nokia Technologies, highlighted the potential for widespread adoption, leveraging the existing infrastructure of smartphones equipped with multiple microphones.
Nokia aims to integrate the immersive audio and video technology into the upcoming 5G Advanced standard, paving the way for licensing opportunities. While widespread availability may take a few years, the technology heralds a new era of telecommunication, offering users an unparalleled audiovisual experience in voice calls.
