A group of leaders in the wireless industry have launched a new group aimed at furthering the advancement of voice over long term evolution (LTE). The joint effort, referred to as the Voice over LTE via Generic Access (VoLGA) Forum, is comprised of Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, Kineto Wireless, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nortel, Samsung, Starent Networks, T-Mobile and ZTE.
The joint effort aims to define a set of specifications within the forum for enabling delivery of voice services over LTE access networks based on the current 3GPP Generic Access Network (GAN) standard.
The VoLGA Forum seeks to enable mobile operators to deliver voice and messaging services over upcoming LTE radio access networks using the same core networks they use today to support voice services on 2G/GSM and 3G/UMTS radio access networks.
VoLGA Forum participants are currently working together to create the initial set of VoLGA specifications, which they intend to complete and publish by mid-2009.