AT&T and Verizon will interconnect for voice-over-LTE calls next year

AT&T and Verizon have for some time been trying to offload voice-call traffic onto their LTE networks, but offering the better-sounding and more full-featured voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) service has been slow coming.

Today the two telecom giants say they will allow VoLTE customers on their respective LTE networks place calls to each other. The agreement will let both carriers' VoLTE subscribers enjoy better call quality and sound, as well as enhanced control features and videoconferencing.

Verizon began offering VoLTE service to customers earlier this year, but without another VoLTE subscriber on the other end, the cool VoLTE features don't work. If a VoLTE calls a standard 3G voice customer, for example, it will sound just like a regular old 3G call on both ends.

AT&T and Verizon say they will begin connecting VoLTE calls to each other's networks early next year.