Why Is The Audio Quality Of Phone Calls Still Not Excellent — Even With So Many Advances In Technology?

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 04/02/2025 at 08:25

Updated on 04/02/2025 at 08:28

Foto: REPRODUÇÃO

Be the first to react!

With So Many Technological Advances, Why Does the Audio Quality of Phone Calls Still Fall Short? Understand the Reasons!

Since the invention of the telephone in 1876, communication technology has advanced considerably. Today, we can watch high-definition videos, make video calls with people around the world, and access vast databases in seconds. However, the audio quality of conventional telephone calls still leaves much to be desired.

Why does this happen? We explore the main factors influencing this issue, addressing everything from technical limitations to telecommunications infrastructure and how new technologies can solve this problem.

The Infrastructure of Conventional Phone Calls

Traditional phone calls use circuit-switched networks, which were designed to support frequencies between 300 Hz and 3400 Hz.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Voice Quality in Mobile Calls

With the popularization of cell phones, voice transmission began to be carried out over wireless networks. In these cases, the voice is converted into digital data and transmitted over different communication channels.

The most commonly used compression standard is G.711, which also restricts the range of transmitted frequencies.

Moreover, mobile calls face additional challenges, such as interference, packet loss, and network congestion.

These factors can result in robotic voice, call drops, and low intelligibility. The problem worsens in densely populated areas or regions where the signal is weak.

The Latency Problem in Phone Calls

Another important factor affecting quality is latency, or the time it takes for a signal to travel the distance between a transmitter and a receiver.

In long-distance calls, this delay can cause communication difficulties, resulting in overlapping speech and delayed responses. This latency is more noticeable in 2G and 3G networks, which are still used in various regions.

The Revolution of VoIP and Internet Calls

With the evolution of the internet, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) emerged, allowing voice transmission over IP networks.

Unlike conventional calls, VoIP does not rely on the legacy infrastructure of telecom operators and can use more advanced audio codecs, such as SILK (used by Skype) and OPUS.

These codecs allow the voice to be transmitted with greater fidelity, capturing a broader spectrum of frequencies.

As a result, calls made through applications like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Zoom generally have better audio quality than traditional phone calls.

However, even VoIP can face challenges, such as dependence on stable connections and sufficient bandwidth. In congested networks or with low speed, call quality can be compromised, resulting in drops or noticeable delays.

The Impact of the Transition to 4G and 5G Networks

In recent years, the implementation of 4G and 5G networks has brought significant improvements in voice transmission. VoLTE (Voice over LTE) technology allows high-definition calls, reducing noise and improving voice intelligibility.

The arrival of 5G promises even greater advances, with lower latency and higher bandwidth. This means that, in the near future, the audio quality of phone calls could finally reach levels comparable to internet calls.

5G will also allow for greater integration with virtual assistants and emerging technologies that can further enhance the user experience.

Despite technological advances, the audio quality of phone calls is still limited by the inherited infrastructure of telecommunications. However, the transition to 4G, 5G, and the adoption of VoIP is changing this scenario.

If you want to improve the quality of your calls, one alternative is to prioritize voice applications over the internet whenever possible.

Additionally, it is important to keep an eye on the advances of telecom operators to take advantage of new technologies as soon as they become available.

The future of phone calls promises to be clearer and more efficient, but there is still a way to go before this reality becomes universal.

Why Is The Audio Quality Of Phone Calls Still Not Excellent — Even With So Many Advances In Technology?

With So Many Technological Advances, Why Does the Audio Quality of Phone Calls Still Fall Short? Understand the Reasons!

The Infrastructure of Conventional Phone Calls

Voice Quality in Mobile Calls

The Latency Problem in Phone Calls

The Revolution of VoIP and Internet Calls

The Impact of the Transition to 4G and 5G Networks

While a traditional school may take several days just to raise walls, in Malawi a 3D-printed school had its structure ready in 18 hours, welcomed children in June, and showed a new solution to the lack of classrooms.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

With a diameter of 15.08 meters, a length of 182 meters, and weighing 3900 tons, the world’s largest tunnel boring machine for drilling super hard rock made a 9 km tunnel in Georgia and impresses with its excavation power.

Material once seen as a poor man’s choice returns as a climate bet, with red clay replacing part of the gray concrete in modern buildings, hospitals, houses, and a cultural center that transforms tradition into a solution against urban heat.

Study solves great ancient mystery: remains of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, are identified in Vergina and resolves the enigma of the Macedonian royal tombs that had lasted half a century.

Larger than the Toyota Hilux and with a towing capacity of 3.5 tons, the new MG U9 2026 features a 2.5 turbodiesel engine, 520 Nm, 4×4 traction with three locks, and an almost full-size build.

The architect who dreamed of this futuristic bridge died ten years before seeing it completed, and now, with a single 200-meter mast holding almost a kilometer of structure, it has just opened as the largest in the world in its category.

Starship V3 from SpaceX faces its 12th flight with unprecedented technology, rapid reuse, and plans that could bring humans closer to the Moon and Mars.

Gas concessionaires, sanitation companies, and other services will no longer be able to tear up the concrete highways of Santa Catarina to lay pipes, and those who cause damage will have to rebuild the road with the same original material and thickness, with no expiration date.

Just over 20 meters of concrete are missing for Brazil and Paraguay to be physically connected for the first time over the Paraguay River on a nearly 1.3 km bridge that will open an unprecedented road shortcut between the Atlantic and the Pacific and shorten the journey of goods to Asia.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

Why Is The Audio Quality Of Phone Calls Still Not Excellent — Even With So Many Advances In Technology?

With So Many Technological Advances, Why Does the Audio Quality of Phone Calls Still Fall Short? Understand the Reasons!

The Infrastructure of Conventional Phone Calls

Voice Quality in Mobile Calls

The Latency Problem in Phone Calls

The Revolution of VoIP and Internet Calls

The Impact of the Transition to 4G and 5G Networks

While a traditional school may take several days just to raise walls, in Malawi a 3D-printed school had its structure ready in 18 hours, welcomed children in June, and showed a new solution to the lack of classrooms.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

With a diameter of 15.08 meters, a length of 182 meters, and weighing 3900 tons, the world’s largest tunnel boring machine for drilling super hard rock made a 9 km tunnel in Georgia and impresses with its excavation power.

Material once seen as a poor man’s choice returns as a climate bet, with red clay replacing part of the gray concrete in modern buildings, hospitals, houses, and a cultural center that transforms tradition into a solution against urban heat.

Study solves great ancient mystery: remains of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, are identified in Vergina and resolves the enigma of the Macedonian royal tombs that had lasted half a century.

Larger than the Toyota Hilux and with a towing capacity of 3.5 tons, the new MG U9 2026 features a 2.5 turbodiesel engine, 520 Nm, 4×4 traction with three locks, and an almost full-size build.

Starship V3 from SpaceX faces its 12th flight with unprecedented technology, rapid reuse, and plans that could bring humans closer to the Moon and Mars.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

OpenAI’s AI solves a mathematical problem that spanned decades, surprises experts, and raises a frightening question: have machines already started making scientific discoveries on their own?

Wendelstein 7-X, the German machine that attempts to replicate the energy of the stars, uses 50 giant magnets to contain plasma hotter than the Sun and test a new path for nuclear fusion without fossil fuel.

Submarine cable project for data centers places RN among the most strategic states in the new digital economy; High-capacity international connection can boost artificial intelligence, cloud services, and technological expansion with a strong regional economic impact.

The architect who dreamed of this futuristic bridge died ten years before seeing it completed, and now, with a single 200-meter mast holding almost a kilometer of structure, it has just opened as the largest in the world in its category.

Starship V3 from SpaceX faces its 12th flight with unprecedented technology, rapid reuse, and plans that could bring humans closer to the Moon and Mars.

Gas concessionaires, sanitation companies, and other services will no longer be able to tear up the concrete highways of Santa Catarina to lay pipes, and those who cause damage will have to rebuild the road with the same original material and thickness, with no expiration date.

Just over 20 meters of concrete are missing for Brazil and Paraguay to be physically connected for the first time over the Paraguay River on a nearly 1.3 km bridge that will open an unprecedented road shortcut between the Atlantic and the Pacific and shorten the journey of goods to Asia.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.