Only Samsung S21 can use it? T-Mobile tries 5G voice

      According to US carriers, 5G has truly arrived. But there's one piece of the puzzle that's largely incomplete: voice. Phone calls still rely primarily on LTE networks, even in places with strong 5G data coverage. Today, T-Mobile announced that it has taken a small step toward making 5G voice a reality. In Portland, Oregon, and Salt Lake City, Utah, some business calls will be routed over T-Mobile's standalone 5G network.

　　Voice over 5G (known as Voice over New Radio, or VoNR) is a major challenge for the entire wireless industry, although all U.S. carriers will likely want to move voice calls to 5G at some point in the future to free up LTE spectrum for 5G. Voice calls over 5G will also have lower latency, so there are real benefits for customers there, too.

　　Not every carrier is rushing to ship calls on 5G, however. Fierce Wireless noted last year that T-Mobile is leading the charge as part of its efforts to be seen as a leader in 5G. Verizon and AT&T, by contrast, appear content to continue using LTE for calls for now while they continue to build out their 5G networks. Per usual, T-Mobile has made a habit of loudly touting its 5G firsts, including the first voice call over its 5G standalone network in 2020 using LTE as a fallback.

　　The technology is only available on the Samsung Galaxy S21 and in "limited regions."

　　VoNR is also something Dish is working on as it builds out its 5G network from scratch, and it could be a sticking point in its efforts to meet the FCC's requirements for its Sprint merger deal. It doesn't have its own LTE network to back it up, and while it's working on VoNR, analysts say the carrier is struggling to make smooth handoffs between voice calls on 5G and the LTE networks it uses as roaming partners. If it does meet the FCC's requirements to cover 20% of the population by the end of the month, it will likely offer only data, not voice, on its own network.

　　Meanwhile, even if you're a T-Mobile customer in Portland or Salt Lake City, you might be hard-pressed to see 5G voice calls happening in the wild. Right now, the technology is only available on the Samsung Galaxy S21 and in "limited areas" in those cities.