Orange rolls out high-definition voice for mobiles

Mobile firm Orange has become the first UK network to use a technology that offers higher quality voice calls. High Definition (HD) voice claims to reduce background noise and the "hisses and crackles" often heard on a normal mobile call.

Azccording to BBC News, the technology, known as, Adaptive Multi Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) has been adopted as an international standard for 3G mobile networks.Other networks are expected to follow Orange soon, experts said.

"It is relatively easy for an operator to introduce - it's just a software upgrade … in a base station," said William Webb, head of research and development at the UK regulator Ofcom.

"There is a commercial incentive to squash the data as much as possible," said Mr Webb. "But you can go too far. The trick is to find the balance point, the sweet spot."

Other countries already have networks using the technology – known colloquially as HD Voice – Including Moldova and Germany.