With live streaming dominating mobile traffic, it is congesting mobile networks and impairing the user experience. With 5G connectivity, mobile service providers aim to introduce more video content and services, providing live and on-demand video to any device, anywhere.
At Electrotel Barcelona we tell you how 5G connectivity will provide a new wave of video services and how 5G networks will evolve in the face of new needs.
5G, the catalyst for the future of live video experiences
5G is the next generation of mobile technology and an industry buzzword of the past few years. Some see it as the panacea for mobile video consumption. And 5G connectivity has the potential to transform the media and entertainment industry. Its capabilities bring exciting new opportunities for broadcasters and content providers.
The 5G network has been specifically designed to connect everyone and everything at higher speeds and with higher quality than ever before. It is currently beginning to be deployed at scale. Ericsson' s June 2020 Mobility Report determines that 45 percent of the world's mobile data traffic will be carried over 5G networks by 2025. With this comes the potential to change the entire media supply chain from production, management, delivery and monetization.
5G Connection: Interoperable
5G promises connections 10 to 20 times faster than current 4G LTE networks. The use of 5G also allows more users to interact simultaneously, providing better user experiences. This opens up a number of new avenues and superior coverage of outdoor events.
What can we expect from 5G?
We will see new and improved applications of both business-to-business and business-to-consumer media. Better video quality on mobile devices is an obvious example both in terms of higher resolution and the types of experiences that can be enabled. 5Gcan support data-intensive resolutions. These resolutions can be those of 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) television (and eventually 8K UHDTV). It can also address challenges of more immersive technologies such as 360-degree live video, and virtual and augmented reality visualization.
Guaranteed bandwidth, high data rates, low latency and delivery reliability are some of the features available with 5G.
The network slicing capability of 5G enables communication service providers to reserve a portion of network resources exclusively for real-time video. This is important for live video production for premium shows, for example. This is because it gives broadcasters and content providers the guaranteed throughput and low network latency they need.
5G networks have been rolling out since 2019, but the critical mass of full-featured 5G capabilities will not be established for several years. The challenge for application providers is to take advantage of the maturity of 5G networks and also the transformation of all media processing functions to cloud-native, thus synchronizing the workflows of technology advancements. This will make it possible to create new media applications that we can only dream of today.
Untethered live video capture
5G can solve several challenges in today's content creation and enable new types of experiences. Its benefits allow producers to have greater flexibility when creating content. For example, 5G allows omnidirectional cameras to be unleashed, giving producers the freedom to deploy them anywhere in the venue. This can be done regardless of where wired connections are available. It could be applied, for example, inside every race car for NASCAR or Formula 1, or in remote areas on a golf course. 5G networks allow much more processing to be done in the cloud and at the edge of the mobile network enabling, for example, the delivery of 4K UHD.
In addition to unleashing cameras, enhanced live production capabilities and multi-streaming options, 5G has the potential to unlock even more remote or off-site production. These advancements are something the industry has been migrating towards over the past few years but which we have seen accelerate over the past few months of shutdown due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This could have a tremendous impact on the future of live broadcasting, particularly at high-profile events where the need is to reduce the number of people and equipment to improve the health and safety of all.
Enabling 4K HDR video streaming over 5G connection
One of the strengths of 5G connectivity is to provide a high-capacity wireless link in areas where no wired infrastructure is available. This can improve coverage of live sports occurring in large or remote areas. The location of cameras is often determined by the availability of wired connections or the ability to install them quickly where possible. This decreases the number of options available and makes it difficult to create a high quality broadcast.
5G offers improvements for high-quality broadcasts. This enables the placement of broadcast cameras focused on optimal viewing rather than accessibility, providing greater coverage and more options for effective storytelling.
Raising the revenue bar
Communication service providers can monetize 5G capabilities by selling partitioned portions of the performance as service offerings. These services are offered to content producers. Here is a possibility to commercialize data access not available with 4G networks. Over time, 5G networks will be able to dynamically provision these virtual network segments. This will lead to increased scalability and ease of use of these service offerings. Combining these services with the use of distributed cloud computing and mobile computing at the edge will ensure low latency while reducing core network traffic.
First, of course, 5G networks have to be successfully deployed. However, once the question of maturity is overcome, the possibility of content being created directly from stadiums and large venues to deliver unique primary and secondary screen experiences to 5G smartphone users is a tantalizing proposition.
A game changer for video experiences!
Do not hesitate to contact us to learn more.
Thank you very much to everyone for counting on us.
For more information:
T. +34 93 433 03 03
At electrotel.net always "United in Communication".
