GL Communications spotlights voice quality testing for 5G
GL Communications has published a detailed overview of its Voice Quality Testing (VQT) portfolio, positioning the suite as a unified platform for objective speech quality measurement across modern and legacy telecommunications networks. The Gaithersburg, Maryland-based test-and-measurement firm covers 5G, VoLTE, VoIP, mobile radio, satellite, PSTN, TDM and analogue networks within a single toolchain.
The announcement is product-focused rather than a funding event or partnership deal, and no new customers or commercial terms were disclosed. It reads primarily as a capabilities briefing aimed at network engineers and quality-assurance teams evaluating automated testing tooling.
The platform in detail
GL's VQT suite is built around two internationally standardised speech quality algorithms: POLQA (ITU-T P.863) and the older PESQ (ITU-T P.862). The company supports POLQA v2.4 and v3, the latter being the version designed for VoLTE, 5G and over-the-top voice services. Measurements span narrowband through to full-band audio and cover modern codecs including EVS, OPUS, AAC and LC3, which are increasingly common in 5G voice deployments.
The suite integrates five named tools. The portable vMobile unit handles field and laboratory testing for mobile handsets and radios, with GPS and indoor tracking for location-stamped results. VQuad extends coverage to wired and analogue endpoints, running scripted call sequences for automated end-to-end measurement. WebViewer provides browser-based reporting with GPS-mapped result plots. AutoVQT handles high-volume batch analysis, processing thousands of voice files in minutes. The Message Automation and Protocol Simulation tool (MAPS) handles call control and signalling across the test scenarios.
Vikram Kulkarni, Sales Director at GL Communications, said the combined suite allows engineers to "objectively measure end-to-end speech quality across 5G, VoLTE, VoIP, mobile radio, satellite and traditional communication networks" and to "confidently validate voice services across diverse network environments."
Market context
Voice quality testing is a mature but evolving niche within telecom test and measurement. The shift from circuit-switched PSTN to all-IP networks, and now to 5G New Radio with VoLTE and VoNR as the primary voice bearers, has extended the scope of what engineers must validate. Codec diversity, variable backhaul latency and the proliferation of OTT voice applications have made objective measurement frameworks such as POLQA more, not less, relevant in recent years.
GL operates in a space that also includes Spirent Communications, Keysight Technologies and JDSU-descended Viavi Solutions, all of which offer voice and network testing products with varying degrees of automation and standards coverage. For mobile network operators preparing for 5G standalone deployments, automated regression suites that can run overnight validation cycles across hundreds of call scenarios represent a meaningful reduction in drive-test costs.
The POLQA v3 standard is particularly relevant for operators that have committed to enhanced voice services (EVS codec) on 5G, where the older PESQ algorithm's narrowband origins make it a poor proxy for wideband and super-wideband call quality. GL's support for both standards within a single reporting environment could simplify audit workflows for operators running mixed-generation networks during the ongoing 3G and 4G sunset programmes across Europe and North America.