The adaptive multi-rate wideband codec: history and performance

This paper gives the history and performance of the adaptive multi-rate wideband (AMR-WB) speech codec recently selected by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for GSM and the third generation mobile communication WCDMA system for providing wideband speech services. The AMR-WB speech codec algorithm was selected in December 2000, and the corresponding specifications were approved in March 2001. In July 2001, the AMR-WB codec was also selected by ITU-T in the standardization activity for wideband speech coding around 16 kbit/s. The adoption of AMR-WB by ITU-T is of significant importance since for the first time the same codec is adopted for wireless as well as wireline services. AMR-WB uses an extended audio bandwidth from 3.4 kHz to 7 kHz and gives superior speech quality and voice naturalness compared to 2^nd and 3^rd generation mobile communication systems.