The French telecom operator SFR has opened a new 7,800-square-meter integration and validation lab, in the Velizy-Villacoublay suburb of Paris, where it demonstrated Voice over LTE (VoLTE) for journalists, Telecompaper.com reports, noting that the new lab holds all the telecom equipment and software that SFR operates in the field (base stations, fiber routers), from partners such as Alcatel Lucent, Cisco, Nokia and Huawei, as well as all SFR terminals and services.

SFR also uses it to test the latest technology and run pilots, such as Network Functions Virtualization architecture. This year the lab is mainly working on fixed and mobile applications, sharing mobile networks with Bouygues Telecom, and generalizing IPV6 for enterprise services and VoLTE.

SFR hopes to be the first French operator to offer VoLTE services next year. The technology will provide faster connection times, better HD voice quality and simultaneous voice-data use.