GL Communications Inc., a global leader in telecom testing solutions, addressed the press regarding their Voice Quality Testing Solutions for Satellite Networks. Satellite communications continue to improve in bandwidth, reliability and coverage. These networks carry diverse traffic flows ranging from private internet use to mission critical voice and video communications. Therefore, it is critical to test these networks for voice, video and data quality.
Satellite communications are inherently prone to impairments such as high latency, jitter, packet loss, and limited bandwidth, which can significantly affect voice quality and user experience.
Robert Bichefsky, Director of Engineering at GL Communications Inc., stated, “The GL Voice Quality Testing (VQT) solution measures the impact of latency, jitter, packet loss, and bandwidth limitations on voice performance and helps operators improve network efficiency. GL’s vMobile™ hand-portable device, when connected to a mobile satellite phone or radio, provides reliable, repeatable tests to check clarity, delay, and speech quality over satellite channels—ensuring dependable communication for every use, from military operations to rural broadband services.”
GL’s vMobile™ is a compact, portable device for end-to-end voice testing over satellite, mobile, and radio networks. It connects directly to endpoint devices such as satellite phones or radios to place and receive live voice calls. The device sends audio through the network and records it at the other end for automated analysis using GL’s VQT application, which employs the POLQA (ITU-T P.863) algorithm to generate the Voice Quality Mean Opinion Score.
By comparing reference and received audio, vMobile™ accurately measures delay, jitter, and speech quality—even under long-delay satellite conditions. It supports diverse test scenarios with various audio files, including male and female voices, multiple languages, and tones, ensuring realistic evaluation of voice performance across satellite networks.
Test data can be viewed locally or uploaded to GL’s WebViewer™ dashboard for centralized monitoring, performance trending, and report generation across multiple test locations.
The figure above illustrates voice quality testing of satellite phones and radios using vMobile™, where audio is transmitted through the connected device and transfers the recorded files to the central database for detailed analysis. The system operates seamlessly across any satellite network and frequency band and supports automation for long-duration or repetitive tests.
Key Features
- Supports all satellite phone and radio models via Bluetooth® and wired headset connections
- Enables real-time performance monitoring of voice and data traffic
- Provides detailed analysis of voice quality, frequency response, one-way and round-trip delay, P.56 power-level analysis, and network audio dropouts
- Includes portable and rack-mounted equipment for different deployment environments including ground stations and remote locations
- Displays test results on Google Maps, enabling location-based analysis and identification of areas with poor voice or data quality
Use Cases
- Defense and Military Operations: Testing voice links over tactical satellite channels
- Emergency Response: Measuring voice quality during disaster or field operations
- Rural and Remote Connectivity: Assessing voice quality over satellite broadband
- Enterprise and Maritime Networks: Monitoring and benchmarking voice performance
- Network Trials and Upgrades: Comparing pre- and post-deployment voice quality
