• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.92-100
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• 2016

It is informed that the Voice over LTE(VoLTE) which serves voice and message on IP networks is better in terms of economies of scale than the legacy voice service on 2G/3G circuit-switched networks because of its technological and cost efficiency. In addition, services of voice and data are running on a single LTE network and as a result VoLTE has the more economies of scope. But, there is no study about how much technology-efficiency VoLTE has compared to circuit-based voice service and how much voice charge can be reduced as VoLTE grows up. This paper analyzes empirically cost-efficiency of VoLTE against circuit-based voice service and quantifies the reduction of voice charge as 2G/3G voice traffic shifts to VoLTE. The results describe the first is that the average cost of the total voice traffic rises shortly just after the investment of LTE network for providing VoLTE but it will soon have a capacity available to reduce the charge due to VoLTE's outstanding cost efficiency on the assumption that voice traffic is fixed, and the second is that the charge can be cut to 60% of the current rate in case of all the voice traffic moves to VoLTE. The latter proves partially the validation of data-focusing pricing plan. Our results are expected to become basic data for network operators' establishing pricing strategies and for policy makers' inducing price cutting.