Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, today announced that it has successfully completed a circuit switched (CS) fallback voice call with a third-party handset provider. 

Conducted at Huawei's Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Evolved Packet Core (EPC) Interoperability Testing Lab in Shanghai, the call demonstrates that operators using LTE/EPC to provide pure data services will still be able to leverage its existing CS network to provide voice services. 

"The successful completion is another example of our efforts to provide LTE/EPC end-to-end solutions to global operators to optimize their networks. Huawei is committed to working with our peers and partners to foster a vibrant telecommunications industry," said Xu Weizhong, President of Packet Core Product Line, Huawei. 

According to the standard solution defined by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), CS Fallback is considered the preferred solution for the early stages of LTE/EPC network deployment. From the user perspective, it minimizes call establishment delay and supports smooth handoffs. For operators, the solution enables them to make full use of their existing networks to protect investments. Huawei provides SingleEPC and SingleCORE-based CS Fallback services and a range of network structures for the solution, including LTE/EPC networks, CS core networks, UMTS wireless networks and CS Fallback capable handsets with a third-party provider. 

As a sponsor of Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) and an active member of LTE/SAE, Huawei holds 271 essential LTE/EPC patents as of Q4 2010, which represents 11 percent of all LTE patents. In 3GPP's packet core area, Huawei continues to be ranked first in the world with over 1,600 proposal submissions and more than 1,000 approved proposals in 2009 and 2010.