AMR-wideband: enjoying superior voice quality at full coverage and competitive capacity in GERAN networks

The introduction of AMR-WB in 2G and 3G mobile networks represents a quantum leap in speech quality. The perceived voice quality is even superior to that offered in today´s wire-line networks. A detailed study on the performance of the different AMR-WB codec types supporting GMSK as well as 8-PSK modulation has been performed based on system level simulations. The investigation is focused on speech quality, coverage and capacity that can be achieved in GERAN networks applying different frequency re-use patterns starting from a relaxed 4×3 down to a tight 1×1. The results show that neither additional sites nor a re-planning of the network is necessary for the introduction of AMR-WB. The dynamics of real codec mode adaptation traced along with the experienced radio link quality on an individual link reveal that an excellent speech quality can be achieved. The support of AMR-WB by both GERAN and UMTS offers high network homogeneity and a perfect symbiosis between 2G and 3G technologies providing an outstanding voice quality throughout the complete area of the multi-RAT network.