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Call Quality Between Mobile Networks

I'm obsessed with HD calling and analyse with my ear every call and always appreciate when it's HD or HD+.

I use a Samsung S23U on Lebara (Vodafone) and anyone that calls me from a Samsung on Vodafone usually always activates the HD+ indicator and indeed the quality of EVS is clearly there.

However I recently put my son on Vodafone using his iphone 11 and disappointingly the call is only ever HD, not HD+. I've checked he's on 4G and so am I but nothing. I know it's network dependent, but I can't help but feel that Samsung to Samsung on Voda always handshakes on the EVS codec. But other manufacturers > Samsung does not. I believe there's more than just the SOC that's responsible to make the EVS hand shake.
 
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I'm obsessed with HD calling and analyse with my ear every call and always appreciate when it's HD or HD+.

I use a Samsung S23U on Lebara (Vodafone) and anyone that calls me from a Samsung on Vodafone usually always activates the HD+ indicator and indeed the quality of EVS is clearly there.

However I recently put my son on Vodafone using his iphone 11 and disappointingly the call is only ever HD, not HD+. I've checked he's on 4G and so am I but nothing. I know it's network dependent, but I can't help but feel that Samsung to Samsung on Voda always handshakes on the EVS codec. But other manufacturers > Samsung does not. I believe there's more than just the SOC that's responsible to make the EVS hand shake.
I've always found the iPhone 11 and up (including SE 2) can do EVS on Three to Three. Any EVS device on the Three network calling another EVS device on the Three network seems to work flawless. My partner has just purchased a Xiaomi 12T and is loving it after his old SE 2020, don't think he'll ever go back to Samsung. Still got that EVS call quality, even with the Xiaomi on SMARTY.
 
They can be hidden by a carrier setting. Two SIMs on my phone, one EE and one Lebara. EE shows VoLTE icon, Lebara doesn't, but Lebara is using VoLTE (remains on 4G unless I turn the option off for 4G calling where it drops to 3G).

Similar oddity with Wi-Fi calling. Both Lebara and EE show VoWiFi icon when connected, but Lebara also adds on Android a non dismissable notification that Wi-Fi calling is on, EE doesn't. There are a lot of carrier configuration options for what to show on the phone, at least on Android.
Yeah I find that notification annoying as hell... Got an S23 ultra and recently tested out Lebara coming from giffgaff. I also noticed different looking 5G logos next to the network strength icon... And the menu options are different depending on the SIM card I use. The notifications annoy me though and it also seems as if Vodafone only enables WiFi calling if the signal strength of their 3/4/5g is low while other operators like EE seem to have it enabled the moment you're on a good WiFi hotspot?
 

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All of my calls come now to my ‘O2’ SIM. The voice call quality is far superior to what it was on Three. There’s more of a ‘mid-high’ range on the O2 voice calls than there is on Three. I often find Three’s voice calls to be a little more on the low to mid ranges of the audio spectrum which isn’t as optimal as mid-higher ranges for human voice.

EE (Lyca) calls from what I experienced were very muddy sounding with hints of too much high range in them. Most likely though this was due to the lack of VoLTE.

I’d honestly say that I think O2 call quality has so far been the best.

Edit: just reading through the thread a little more. I understand this can be network to network dependant. My mum is also on O2 I use a 14 pro max and she uses the Samsung S21.
 
Does anyone know if there has been any update with incoming calls into three from other networks and HD voice?

I am on EE and incoming to my friend on 3/Smart is never HD, I was on Vodafone until March and it also was the same situation.
 
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I can tell when calling somebody on Three / Smarty on my Smarty sim. The call quality is incredible.

I am pretty sure I get HD when calling the mrs on O2 too.

EE and Vodafone sound normal to me.
 
I can tell when calling somebody on Three / Smarty on my Smarty sim. The call quality is incredible.

I am pretty sure I get HD when calling the mrs on O2 too.

EE and Vodafone sound normal to me.
HD calls to and from O2 and Vodafone are also HD. HD outgoing to EE but not incoming.
 
I know EE have EVS too but I don’t recall the call quality EE to EE being as good as it is when calling someone on Three/Smarty from my Smarty sim.
 
Yeah I find that notification annoying as hell... Got an S23 ultra and recently tested out Lebara coming from giffgaff. I also noticed different looking 5G logos next to the network strength icon... And the menu options are different depending on the SIM card I use. The notifications annoy me though and it also seems as if Vodafone only enables WiFi calling if the signal strength of their 3/4/5g is low while other operators like EE seem to have it enabled the moment you're on a good WiFi hotspot?
A bit late but when VoLTE/VoWiFi was actually working for me on O2 (I really hope it comes back soon, but I feel like I need to do a SIM swap eventually anyways in the future), VoWiFi only worked when my signal strength was low/non existent.

A quick example is in this thread I made a few weeks ago about not having VoLTE and VoWiFi in months: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/th...-voicemail-as-well-as-volte-and-vowifi.40468/.

Although, I only generally experienced it popping up when being connected to a 4G B40 network indoors or I just have completely no signal.
 
Does anyone know if there has been any update with incoming calls into three from other networks and HD voice?

I am on EE and incoming to my friend on 3/Smart is never HD, I was on Vodafone until March and it also was the same situation.

HD calling seems to be working fully now between all networks EXCEPT for calls FROM EE to Three (calls from Three to EE are HD). Bizarrely, due to the UK's ridiculous trombone porting system, this also means if you have an ex-EE number (or Orange/T-Mobile/One2one) on Three you'll never get an inbound HD call from any other network except other Three numbers!

So to sumarise:

1) EE customers can't generally make HD calls to Three numbers but can recieve them from all networks.

2) Three customers with ported ex-EE numbers can only recieve HD calls from other Three based numbers (3/Smarty/ID etc) but can make HD calls to all networks incuding EE.

This appears to be purely an EE/Three issue, but due to the above means you can't use Three if you want inbound HD calls and your number was originally "owned" by EE and you can't use EE if you want HD calls to Three numbers!

I just had to move from Three to Vodafone to solve this as I have an EE number. EE are obviously not an option due to the above, leaving Vodafone bizzarly as the only reliable option for someone with an EE number to get all calls that can work in HD working (and even then HD still does not work when calling EE numbers ported to Three)!

UK porting is an utter mess and this combined with EE seems to be the core of the HD problem as EE aquired so many legacy numbers in their merger and have a broken HD interconnect.

If you had issues HD calling your friend before moving to EE, that indicates they may have an EE number that they ported to Three*. Now you're on EE you won't be able to HD call any Three number until this eventually gets fixed (it's been years now so I'm not holding my breath).

*Though I'm not sure when Vodafone to Three HD started working so you may have moved to EE before this was fully implimented by Vodafone.
 
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HD calling seems to be working fully now between all networks EXCEPT for calls FROM EE to Three (calls from Three to EE are HD). Bizarrely, due to the UK's ridiculous trombone porting system, this also means if you have an ex-EE number (or Orange/T-Mobile/One2one) on Three you'll never get an HD call from any other network except other Three numbers!

So to sumarise:

1) EE customers can't generally make HD calls to Three numbers but can recieve them from all networks.

2) Three customers with ported ex-EE numbers can only recieve HD calls from other Three based numbers (3/Smarty/ID etc) but can make HD calls to all networks inc EE.

This appears to be purely an EE/Three issue, but due to the above means you can't use Three if you want inbound HD calls and your number was originally "owned" by EE and you can't use EE if you want to call Three numbers!

I just had to move from Three to Vodafone to solve this as I have an EE number. EE are obviously not an option due to the above, leaving Vodafone bizzarly as the only reliable option for someone with an EE number to get all calls that can work in HD working (and even then HD still does not work when calling EE numbers ported to Three)!

UK porting is an utter mess and this combined with EE seems to be the core of the HD problem, as EE aquired so many legacy numbers in their merger and have a broken HD interconnect.
Do you mean a number that originated on T-Mobile / Orange?

What a mess.
 
Do you mean a number that originated on T-Mobile / Orange?

What a mess.

Yes. I have numbers originally issued by one2one and Orange, both of which were ported to Three and lost the ability to receive HD calls from other networks. A Vodafone number ported to Three is fine, as of course are Three issued numbers.

Any call that has to go from EE to Three, even if only due to being a ported EE number (ie a Vodafone call to an EE number ported to Three), currently loses the ability to be HD!

I have no idea how or why Ofcom allow such a clusterf**k of a porting system to continue. Let EE's current customers deal with their network's issues making HD calls, don't tie them to the number even after you've left. :)
 
HD calling seems to be working fully now between all networks EXCEPT for calls FROM EE to Three (calls from Three to EE are HD). Bizarrely, due to the UK's ridiculous trombone porting system, this also means if you have an ex-EE number (or Orange/T-Mobile/One2one) on Three you'll never get an inbound HD call from any other network except other Three numbers!

So to sumarise:

1) EE customers can't generally make HD calls to Three numbers but can recieve them from all networks.

2) Three customers with ported ex-EE numbers can only recieve HD calls from other Three based numbers (3/Smarty/ID etc) but can make HD calls to all networks incuding EE.

This appears to be purely an EE/Three issue, but due to the above means you can't use Three if you want inbound HD calls and your number was originally "owned" by EE and you can't use EE if you want HD calls to Three numbers!

I just had to move from Three to Vodafone to solve this as I have an EE number. EE are obviously not an option due to the above, leaving Vodafone bizzarly as the only reliable option for someone with an EE number to get all calls that can work in HD working (and even then HD still does not work when calling EE numbers ported to Three)!

UK porting is an utter mess and this combined with EE seems to be the core of the HD problem as EE aquired so many legacy numbers in their merger and have a broken HD interconnect.

If you had issues HD calling your friend before moving to EE, that indicates they may have an EE number that they ported to Three*. Now you're on EE you won't be able to HD call any Three number until this eventually gets fixed (it's been years now so I'm not holding my breath).

*Though I'm not sure when Vodafone to Three HD started working so you may have moved to EE before this was fully implemented by Vodafone.
Wow, that is a great post and answers really what is the problem with with my friends' number as I know he is an ex-EE customer.

So, the problem is really EEs to fix as it is them causing the problem it would seem.

Thanks for the detailed response!
 
Wow, that is a great post and answers really what is the problem with with my friends' number as I know he is an ex-EE customer.

So, the problem is really EEs to fix as it is them causing the problem it would seem.

Thanks for the detailed response!
My mother has an ex orange number now with smarty. I'm going to ring it from my voxi SIM and fact check myself because it really is and issue if so!!
 
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I have an old iPhone 7 - is there a way to see if a call is hd?
Nope, there's no way to tell what technology is being used on an iPhone unfortunately.

If you're making a call through 4G, there is a good chance that it'll be HD though (unless you're on Sky).
 
I have an old iPhone 7 - is there a way to see if a call is hd?
VoLTE has worked on iPhone 6 and higher so your iPhone 7 should be fine. As insertfloppydiskhere said
If you're making a call through 4G, there is a good chance that it'll be HD though (unless you're on Sky).
So if you have a 4G connection during the call, then you're using VoLTE
 
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