First Ever ‘Immersive’ Phone Call Made by Nokia CEO

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark has revolutionized phone communication by making the world’s first call using “immersive audio and video” technology. This innovative advancement enhances call quality with three-dimensional sound, creating a more lifelike interaction, the company announced on Monday.

“We have demonstrated the future of voice calls,” said Lundmark, who also witnessed the first 2G call in 1991. Unlike current smartphone calls that use monophonic audio, compressing sound elements and making them flat and less detailed, this new technology introduces 3D audio. Callers will experience sound as if they are physically present with the other person.

Jenni Lukander, President of Nokia Technologies, highlighted, “It is the biggest leap forward in the live voice calling experience since the introduction of monophonic telephony audio in smartphones and PCs today.” The groundbreaking call was conducted with Stefan Lindström, Finland’s Ambassador of Digitalisation and New Technologies.

“This is now becoming standardized, enabling network providers, chipset manufacturers, and handset manufacturers to integrate it into their products,” Lukander explained. Nokia successfully made the call using a regular smartphone over a public 5G network.

Beyond personal calls, this immersive technology can significantly enhance conference calls by spatially separating participants’ voices based on their locations. Jyri Huopaniemi, Head of Audio Research at Nokia Technologies, noted that most smartphones already have the necessary microphones to implement this technology, which transmits spatial characteristics in real time.

This technology is part of the forthcoming 5G Advanced standard, and Nokia aims to capitalize on licensing opportunities. However, it may take a few years for widespread availability.