Written by Diana Goovaerts, US Editor at Mobile World Live.

A panel of equipment vendors noted regional US operators can use VoLTE technology to boost spectral efficiency and recycle old voice spectrum for LTE to meet growing capacity needs, but must first work through technical hurdles related to location-based services.

Advances in technology can often be a great leveller in industries, and the telecoms industry is no exception. The availability of new technologies in various markets has changed the expectations of consumers and businesses irrevocably.

With over 100 million viewers and an ad cost of $4.5 million per 30-second spot, Sunday's Super Bowl broke records in both categories. While the ads are certain to be the topic of conversation at the water cooler for days to come, the most talked about ad in the mobile operator circles will most certainly be the T-Mobile WiFi calling ad.

Advanced IP services, including Voice-over-WiFi (VoWiFi), Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), VoLTE roaming (VoLTE-R) and Rich Communication Services (RCS), are defining the next generation network. Fueled by the marketing campaigns of wireless and mobile broadband operators, iconic device manufacturers, and the actual availability of these services in the marketplace, they are quickly becoming essential services that consumers are demanding.