This article appeared in New Straits Times on 15 June 2022.

KUALA LUMPUR: Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) and Ericsson have recently demonstrated a 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) call, conducted in Malaysia for the first time over a live 5G network.

Ericsson said the technical milestone was a testament to the ability of the DNB network to support both 5G non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) architectures.

"5G VoNR calls are a basic capability needed for future standalone new radio (SA NR) 5G deployments and will allow innovative services to be offered in the market," head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh David Hägerbro said.

"This is another milestone as we work with DNB to deliver a world-class network for Malaysians to enjoy," he added.

DNB chief technology officer Ken Tan said the successful VoNR demonstration, done for the first time over the live nationwide 5G network, was the latest technical milestone of how 5G can deliver a new and superior user experience via a cloud-native 5G standalone architecture.

"5G VoNR can be a key enabler of next-generation immersive applications that combine 5G speeds and high-definition audio. We will continue to deliver 5G capabilities to support technology innovation in Malaysia," said Tan.

VoNR uses DNB's 5G network SA architecture to offer end users a high-definition, audio-video experience thanks to ultrafast 5G speeds throughout the duration of the calls.

VoNR is also expected to generate new revenue opportunities among mobile network operators (MNOs) with ready 5G Cores.

The calls over the live network were made using OPPO Find X3 Pro phones.

Earlier in November 2021, DNB's Multi-Core Operator Network (MOCN) architecture achieved a global technical milestone, becoming the first operator to successfully integrate its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) with five local MNOs.