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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Former jail contractor gets probation for sex with inmates ... 'River of sewage' floods Ashland home ... Ashland man had been 'upskirting' women for months ... Former jail contractor gets probation for sex with inmates ... 'River of sewage' floods Ashland home ... Ashland man had been 'upskirting' women for months ... TELECOM AT&T expands high-definition voice in Northwest markets Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 2, 2015 at 5:00 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 2, 2015 at 5:00 PM » Social News AT&T customers in several Northwest markets were given access to high-definition mobile voice service Monday. Medford, Bend, Eugene and Salem markets, along with Washington cities Bellingham, Olympia, Spokane and Tri-Cities, were added to the system, said Andy Colley AT&T's West Region spokesman. "Los Angeles just recently launched." With the latest cellphones equipped with HD voice, users will detect noticeably reduced background noise compared to standard voice calls. The use of wideband audio for HD Voice expands the frequency range of audio signals, enabling more natural-sounding conversation, the company says. AT&T began rolling out the service in 2014. As of Monday, roughly half of areas in the lower 48 states have high-definition access, but when Alaska is included in the mix, about a third of the country is within reach. "Earlier generations of cellular networks, such as 2G and 3G, were designed mainly to carry voice calls through circuit switching," Colley said. "The new HD voice service is part of a multi-billion-dollar planned investment to expand and enhance our wireless and wireline broadband services, improving Internet service quality, speed and reliability." Newer HTC, LG, Lumia, Samsung and Apple 6 phones can take advantage of the upgrade. However, Apple 5 owners are out of luck. Colley declined to say what percentage of current AT&T customers are able to take advantage of the upgrade or what the percentage would grow to by the end of 2016. Adoption will rise over time, said Ramon Llamas, research manager for wearable and smartphone teams at International Data Corp. of Framingham, Mass., which provides market intelligence and advisory services for information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets. "The dynamics of buying options have changed a bit," Llamas said. "People used to walk into the store and would buy what matches their budget. When you had to pay $199 down, higher-end phones were out of reach of many customers. Now it's $30 per month. If you only have to pay five or seven dollars more a month more than for mid-range devices, you'll say, 'Heck, go for it.' " AT&T has spent $375 million on its Oregon network the past three years, making 170 wireless network upgrades, including 16 new cell sites. That, however, is just a fraction of the billions wireless companies pump into operations each quarter. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint all respond to innovations, primarily from Samsung and Apple, Llamas said. "When those vendors flip the switch, that's when you see the greatest adoption in order to keep up with the Joneses," he said. "The fly in the ointment, though, is a new feature doesn't necessarily equate with people using it. Apple does a good job of marketing its newest technology. It seems commonplace and easy to use. But there are scores of uses that they don't have time to sell you on." After devices, networks, infrastructure and algorithms are lined up, Llamas said, there are a lot of steps to be checked off for communications to go from Point A to Point B. "At the end of the day," he said, "people just want their cellphones to work." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/EconomicEdge . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 2, 2015 at 5:00 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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