The telecommunications industry has a long and successful history of converting simple terms into confusing terms with initialisms and abbreviations that turn them into complex terms. So what are the differences between VoIP and VoLTE?

 

Not the Same Animal

It can be a minefield when you explore new telephony for your business. We will examine VoIP and VoLTE and their similarities and differences as they are. VoIP is a modern way of making and receiving calls and is used over the Internet. Traditionally, voice calls were made via PSTN, but today it is the most popular method of making calls. Companies that use VoIP are becoming more and more frequent and over 70% of entrepreneurs want to switch to a VoIP-based PBX. All you need to make and receive VoIP calls is a broadband connection and you don’t need to have multiple phone lines. This means that you do not need a separate phone line for calls and data calls.

On Smartphones

As you probably know, LTE is the technical name for a mobile data connection and Long Term Evolution is a VoIP cellular network. VoLTE (Voice over LTE) stands for Over – LTE (Long – term Evolution) and works over a fixed broadband line. VoLTE is now most commonly used on mobile softphones, but is also available on other devices such as tablets and smartphones. This feature uses VoLTE technology in conjunction with a cloud telephone system, and many VoIP / PBX systems have built-in mobile features so that employees can take their PBX on the road via a mobile app.

Amount of Calls Keep Increasing

Although VoLTE and VoIP are similar technologies, they differ and VOIP traffic has increased significantly in recent years. As more and more companies have switched to cloud-based phone systems, this has increased the number of VoIP calls on the Internet, with more than 1.9 million calls per day in 2019. This does not mean that VoLTE is unusual, as many companies also use it to stay in touch with their employees on the move. The main difference between the two is probably the use of VoIP as the primary communication medium between an employee and his employer.

Universal devices

VoLTE uses a GSM connection (mobile data connection), but can also be used by devices without a SIM card. Some mobile phones and tablets have LTE capabilities and are therefore able to use them. Another difference between VoIP and VoLTE is reliability, and many companies do so for desktop and personal computers that use VoIP, but not for mobile phones. Although recent infrastructure upgrades have made the mobile network stronger than ever, there are still some black spots, particularly in low population areas not only in Miami or South Florida, but across the US as well.

Similarities

VoIP and VoLTE have many similarities, so you can probably imagine that the two technologies are essentially the same. This means that voice calls can be transmitted over data, but this requires a fixed network, which is generally more reliable. However, this makes it less robust, as it relies on a much larger number of lines than a mobile network with a more robust infrastructure. This requires a decent broadband connection and allows the use of packet circuits, but is not as reliable as VoLTE due to the large number of lines. VoIP and VoLTE work seamlessly side by side in the real world, and in fact many people will use them without even realizing it.

If your business has a VoIP telephone system and you are being called on the go by a mobile user, you are likely to share VoLTE and VoP, but if you don’t, both can improve business money, time and telecommunications. By eliminating costly on-site hardware, small businesses can use up to 5,000 minutes per day, including unlimited voice, video, text, data and voice calls for free. You can also use it to make calls using a multitude of applications when your Wi-Fi is not connected.

Take a look at our cloud-based phone system or Hosted VoIP PBX and compare the advantages and disadvantages of VoIP and VoLTE while using our service.