Why do cell phones still use 6-12 Kbps codexs?
Question: Cell phone voice quality stinks. So when researching why I found out cell phones transmit voice at 6-12 Kbps codex. Yet these same telephones download VIDEO at 300+Kpbs download webpages, and stream music at CD quality (128 Kpbs). If there is this much bandwidth why don't they upgrade the quality of the voice networks.
Answer:
It's a matter of economics, you can get more channels with low data rates. Data services are much less used and earn money per bit so faster data rates mean more revenue. The bandwidth for switched traffic once it is within the cell network is 64Kbps. This is the same as fixed line voice. Once networks move toward a complete IP based infrastructure, then these switched circuit limits go away. If your cell network allows you to use Skype over the high bandwidth data channel, then you can increase sound quality that way.
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