Orange UK has launched announced a trial of High Definition (HD) Voice across its UK mobile network in the South of England. Orange says that the quality of HD Voice calls is such that it virtually eliminates the distance between callers so that it makes calls sound as if they’re in the same room. 

The trial, which started last week, runs across the Orange UK network between Bristol, Reading and Southampton, with participating users having been selected to represent a range of demographic groups, including small businesses and early technology adopters, as well as more mainstream users. Levels of call quality and customer experience will be monitored, and upon successful feedback from the trial, Orange plans to roll out the service nationwide before the end of the summer.

Tom Alexander, chief executive of Everything Everywhere, the company which runs Orange UK, says: “The trial of mobile HD Voice is a significant milestone in the new company’s goal of delivering the best service in the industry. HD Voice represents a huge advance for the customer experience, a great leap forward for the mobile industry, and we’re delighted to be at the forefront in bringing this innovation to the UK public.”