Orange UK has launched what it describes as: “the first major advancement in UK mobile voice calling for 20 years”, with the launch of mobile High Definition (HD) Voice.

Orange says that HD Voice offers a proven improvement in the sound quality of traditional mobile voice calls, eliminating the distance between friends, relatives and colleagues to make callers’ voices sound like they do when communicating face-to- face. HD Voice also reduces the background noise, hisses and crackles of normal mobile calls, so works well in noisy environments.

Orange HD Voice is available at no extra cost to all Orange mobile customers who take a HD Voice-enabled handset. From launch, new variants of the Nokia 5230, Nokia X6, Nokia E5 and Samsung Omnia Pro will be HD Voice-enabled, with further manufacturers expected to offer HD handsets in the coming months. All HD Voice-enabled handsets will be labelled with the Orange HD Voice logo, helping customers to easily recognise those devices that support the new service. HD Voice demonstration units will also be available in Orange shops.

Orange says that HD Voice also opens up new opportunities for business users. It says the arrival of HD Voice is “hotly anticipated” by the broadcasting industry, which believes that the service could reduce its reliance on ISDN lines and the need to ferry guests to studios for interviews. Other industries that will benefit significantly from HD Voice include those with significant background noise, such as the construction and manufacturing industries.

“Although what we use our mobile handsets for has evolved significantly in the past few years, the way we make mobile calls hasn’t changed a great deal since the 1990s, so we’re proud to be the first telecommunications brand in the UK to change this and offer customers a revolutionary new calling experience,” says Tom Alexander, chief executive of Orange parent company, Everything Everywhere.