We are now reaching the tipping point of the next big thing in wireless technology. Today, our network infrastructure is undergoing rapid transformation and heading towards an era of communication enabled by 5G, which will be even more intelligent, indispensable, reliable and versatile. In the foreseeable future, 5G is expected to revolutionize not just the way we communicate, but how we use and interact with rich content, harness data for better efficiencies and productivity, and even the way we experience live events. The impact on lives, economies and societies will be unprecedented.
Connected events
Advancements in technology have created a shift in how live content is being consumed. Attendees at big occasions such as festivals, concerts and global sporting events are becoming increasingly active participants. Social media is also changing how fans interact with their favorite teams or music acts and affecting the way they share content with their followers. As a result, demand for high speed data transfer continues to accelerate as attendees want access to additional views and real-time updates, and to be able to share the special moments with their friends and family throughout the event. Inevitably, there will be high expectations for seamless and dependable connectivity throughout.
5G is all about providing connectivity on a massive scale, and live events are the perfect platform to prepare for large-scale deployments since it needs to work seamlessly in real time situations. High speed, high capacity and low latency 5G technologies are the cornerstones of future connectivity that will enable service providers to deliver an immersive experience to a large number of spectators and change the way live events are consumed. Major events will therefore play a flagship role in the initial phase of the 5G rollout.
Realistically, Wi-Fi and LTE will not be able to cope with the high density of users and extreme latency demands. From past demonstrations, Nokia has determined that 5G can provide up to 40 times more capacity in a stadium than 4.5G while reducing the costs of providing video services up to 20 times. With that, more users could be reached with a lower cost using 5G. In addition, with 5G, high-definition video can be delivered simultaneously to a large number of subscribers within the venue. Furthermore, 5G is also opening up a world of possibilities for those who prefer to enjoy the show or game remotely or at the comfort of their own homes, through technology like virtual reality for an immersive experience.
Collective effort from the industry
Nokia has been hard at work in delivering the immersive digital experiences at event spaces through 5G. The recent global sporting event offers us all a glimpse of what events in the digital future will be like. Together with various industry players, Nokia partnered with a major telco player in Korea to provide 5G wireless broadband connectivity up to 1.2 Gbps, allowing attendees to live-stream content at multiple venues. The telco was also able to demonstrate the power of the 5G network through live-streaming video of events, and included features such as time slice, sync view and omni-view which provided an overall interactive and immersive experience for viewers.
We are not far from the commercial reality of 5G. Trials are already taking place that could lead to 5G deployments in 2019. Countries such as US, China, Korea, and Japan are at the forefront of these efforts. While we understand that the journey to 5G is not going to be easy, we will need to push the boundaries of what is possible, and continue to help the industry explore the seemingly endless possibilities that 5G can achieve.
Sandeep Girotra is senior vice president for Asia Pacific & Japan at Nokia