Improved voice and audio quality thanks to LC3plus

The Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) voice and audio codec, which we co- developed, allows people to speak to each other on cellphones using the LTE network as if they were in the same room. For landlines, however, the requirements for the codec are slightly different. For a long time, achieving this level of quality on DECT wireless phones was therefore nothing more than wishful thinking. In 2019, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standardized the new LC3plus audio codec and incorporated it into the DECT »Evolution« standard.

LC3plus is an extension of the new Low Complexity Communication Codec (LC3), which was standardized by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). Both versions were developed jointly with Ericsson in order to improve voice and audio transmission for wireless communication devices and so that, among other things, super-wideband (SWB) quality could also be provided for Bluetooth and DECT – all while ensuring low latency, low complexity, and low storage requirements. In addition, LC3plus exhibits excellent robustness against packet loss and bit errors. Its inherent tools for error concealment have been adapted specifically to DECT phones and deliver a significant improvement in voice quality compared with predecessor codecs. Conversations can therefore be enjoyed without interruption even when the handset is located far away from the base station.