Orange ‘will offer HD mobile phone calls’

Leading mobile phone provider Orange is set to develop and trial high-definition (HD) mobile phone calls among its millions of users.

The announcement of its deployment of the latest mobile technology has pleased one industry expert, who labelled it "great news for the consumer".

Thomas Newton, staff writer for mobile phone site Recombu, said: "Nobody likes having to repeat themselves in a conversation due to a dodgy connection – whether it’s two friends catching up with each other or business colleagues discussing a contract."

Orange already offers 3G coverage to 93 per cent of the UK’s land mass, while its forthcoming merger with T-Mobile will take its customer base past the 28 million mark.

It will be the network provider for about 37 per cent of the UK’s mobile market – meaning the revolutionary HD technology could be accessible to many.

Mr Newton added that while the range of applications offered and the rising number of tasks a mobile phone can perform is good, people "still want their phone to be a phone".

HD performance could ensure that this primary function is delivered at its most reliable and of the highest quality, with calls clearer and less susceptible to disruption.

Orange has said that its merger with German mobile firm T-Mobile will result in an enhanced indoor and outdoor service being provided to 2G and 3G customers.

The two companies expect to invest between £600 billion and £800 billion on integration costs by 2014 which will allow them to compete against the largest global mobile phone brands.