The recently finalized EVS standard, co-developed by Fraunhofer IIS, takes the quality of mobile phone calls to a new dimension. EVS delivers an unprecedented level of coding efficiency as well as audio quality for speech, background music and mixed content, providing considerably improved speech intelligibility that is clear and natural sounding. The audio quality offered by EVS will allow mobile calls to be significantly richer in sound, for example, when listening to a music performance from a distance, enjoying grandchildren singing “Happy Birthday” or being “on location” with a loved one traveling around the world. Thanks to EVS, impressions and ambient sounds are crystal clear to provide an experience comparable to speaking with someone in the same room or on-location during a live event. These advantages will make mobile phone conversations significantly more comfortable in the future.

The EVS standard is the first 3GPP communication codec to deliver speech and audio in Super-wideband Full-HD Voice quality, bringing mobile audio on par with the audio experienced through today‘s digital media services. The algorithm delivers speech and audio up to 20 kHz audio bandwidth, outperforming the audio quality of today’s mobile phone calls.

”Fraunhofer is proud to be a major contributor to the first 3GPP communication codec enabling calls of superior voice and audio quality. EVS is ground breaking development for telephony that will have a significant impact on the quality of mobile calls and the mobile industry in general”, said Harald Popp, head of the business department of the Audio & Multimedia division of Fraunhofer IIS.

At Mobile World Congress 2015, visitors to Fraunhofer’s booth (Hall 7, booth 7G31) can experience the benefits of EVS through a real-time demonstration of a live phone call over a standard handset.