The multinational telecommunications service provider Bharti Airtel on Thursday put on display its 5G’s high-speed, low latency capabilities that aim at transforming the future of video entertainment and providing a much-enhanced user experience. The company used its cutting-edge immersive video technologies over its high speed 5G test network to recreate the in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev’s famous 175 not out vs Zimbabwe during the 1983 Cricket World Cup. The video was played in 4K mode bringing some of the highlights of the match to life as there isn’t original footage available due to a strike by TV technicians.
Endless Possibilities of 5G
The connectivity speed reached up to 1 Gbps and latency under 20ms allowing about 50 users to simultaneously experience the highly personalized 4K video experience of the match on 5G smartphones. The users also had real-time access to multiple camera angles, 360-degree in-stadia view, shot analysis and stats. What made the session more unique was India’s first 5G powered hologram interaction with Kapil Dev. A virtual Avatar of the legendary Indian cricketer appeared on the stage which was powered by Airtel 5G and even interacted with the fans in real-time discussing the key moments of his unforgettable inning. The CTO of Bharti Airtel Randeep Sekhon in a statement said that the gigabit speeds and millisecond latency of 5G will transform the way people consume entertainment. He further added that the company has only scratched the surface of the infinite possibilities of 5G and highly personalized immersive experiences in the digital world with today’s demonstration. According to Sekhon, with 5G based holograms, it will become very easy to transport virtual avatars to any location and this will be a game-changer for meetings and conferences, LIVE news and will have so many other use cases. He stated that Airtel is fully prepared for 5G in this emerging digital world and is building a solid pipeline of innovative use cases for India. The legendary cricketer Kapil Dev talked about how surprised he was by the power of 5G technology and seeing his digital avatar interact with his fans as if he was actually there. He also thanked Airtel for the wonderful effort and for bringing to life one of the most important innings of his career. The demonstration by Airtel was organized at its Network Experience Center in Manesar (Gurugram) using Ericsson 5G Radio in NSA and SA modes over 3500 MHz band test spectrum allotted by the Department of Telecom, Government of India.
