The POLQA (Perceptual Objective Listening Quality Analysis) algorithm is a standard for voice quality evaluation in telecommunications. It was standardized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) as Recommendation P.863. POLQA is used to predict speech quality by analyzing digital speech signals and comparing them with a reference signal to rate the perceived quality of the voice communication.
In the context of VoLTE (Voice over LTE), POLQA’s relevance is significant. VoLTE is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals, which includes voice calls over a 4G LTE network. POLQA supports new types of speech codecs used in 3G and 4G LTE networks, making it particularly suited for evaluating and benchmarking the voice quality of VoLTE services. It takes audio clips as inputs and compares them with pre-recorded referential speeches to rate a degraded or processed speech signal in relation to the original signal. The difference between the two signals is counted as distortions, and these distortions are scored based on Mean Opinion Scores (MOS), providing an objective assessment of the input audio quality.
POLQA is essential for mobile network operators and manufacturers to evaluate, optimize, and monitor the voice quality of next-generation networks, ensuring that VoLTE services deliver high-quality voice communication.