Nokia has made the first cellular call using the new 3GPP Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS) codec, which enables users to hear 3D spatial sound in a fully immersive real-time experience.

Currently, calls via smartphones over a cellular network are monophonic: the audio is compressed into a single channel rendering the sounds flatter and less detailed.

However, Nokia has been working to change that with IVAS, a new voice and audio codec standardised by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which brings together standards organisations to develop mobile protocols.

IVAS technology, which is part of the upcoming 5G Advanced standard, enables high-quality, live immersive audio across any connected device, including smartphones, tablets and PCs.

The technology enables a three-dimensional audio experience, which sounds as if the caller is actually there with you in real life.

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark demonstrated the technology for the first time in a phone call with Stefan Lindström...