Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata announced that it has brought Voice over New Radio (VoNR) out of the lab and into the real world after conducting what it claims is the country’s first successful VoNR trial on a live standalone 5G network.
The trial – which used a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone to make the call – follows a lab-based VoNR Proof of Concept (PoC) in 2023 using a PoC Core setup in October 2023. Dialog Axiata said the latest trial was carried out on its live 5G SA core network, demonstrating the real-world feasibility of VoNR services.
VoNR – also known as Voice Over 5G – is the 5G version of 4G’s VoLTE, which enables voice calls to be placed over a packet-switched network. VoLTE allows 5G users to make voice calls via the underlying 4G network, while VoNR uses the 5G SA network.
According to Dialog, VoNR offers clearer voice quality, quicker call connections, and better security than 2G/3G or VoLTE services. It can also support future capabilities like ‘5G New Calling’ and improves overall network efficiency through better use of 5G spectrum, said group CTO Ranga Kariyawasam.
“Successfully trialing VoNR on our live 5G network brings us one step closer to unlocking the full potential of next-generation connectivity, delivering seamless, high-quality voice experiences over 5G,” he said in a statement.
For all that, 5G remains in the trial stage in Sri Lanka. Dialog Axiata has been trialling 5G since its initial fixed-wireless 5G pilot in 2018.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has been promising to work out an allocation scheme for 5G spectrum since at least 2021.
In December 2024, the TRCSL issued a consultation notice for auctioning the 3.5-GHz and 27-GHz bands for 5G services, with licences good for ten years, but has yet to make any announcement on the results of the consultation.
