The promise of 5G is to enable a wide range of applications, from multi-gigabit speeds and data capacity in congested areas, to ultra-low latency applications in industrial settings. And when 5G mmWave bands complement mid-band spectrum for the needed network capacity, this is possible. There are many 5G mmWave use cases but we don’t need to look far to recognize a “killer application” right under our noses: mobile video.
Why are we talking about mobile video?
As a society, we’re producing and consuming more video, as well as higher quality video for work, for learning, for collaborating, and for fun. The Ericsson Mobility Report (June 2022) estimates video traffic to account for 79% of all mobile data traffic by 2027 globally. This increase is attributed to higher video resolutions, increased uplink traffic with video sharing and conferencing, offloading of data from device to cloud computing resources, and uptake of new video-based applications such as extended reality.
What does this mean for users, and how can networks support this? Let’s look at two examples.
1. Sharing moments via uplink video
Imagine you’re at a crowded entertainment venue. You want to capture the moment on video, at the best resolution available in your smartphone, and simultaneously share the moment with friends and family. Shooting one minute of video at 4K resolution produces 450-750 megabytes of data.
Thousands of users around you probably want to do the same.
Network operators need to support this high and dense uplink-heavy data traffic. Sharing your one-minute video takes less than 30 seconds (assuming 200 megabits per second uplink throughput). All this while enjoying multi-angle video streams of the event on your device, thanks to multi-gigabits per second downlink data speeds.
This scenario is a sweet spot for the extreme capacity of 5G, and particularly for 5G mmWave. Major sporting events are already showcasing how 5G mmWave can support tens of thousands of users simultaneously connecting and sharing moments from their smartphones.
In a prominent American football game earlier this year, a leading operator reported more than 47 terabytes of data being consumed or streamed during the game.
This is equivalent to a single user binge-watching high-definition video for more than three years1.
This level of connectedness and sharing was made possible by mmWave: More than 70% of the data traffic at the game was supported through 5G mmWave links at the venue.
2. Video applications for businesses
Businesses are also leveraging video in innovative ways to improve operations, safety, and productivity. For example, augmented reality-based training and maintenance in factories and warehouses, or artificial intelligence-enhanced video surveillance. In each of these applications, 5G mmWave serves as the critical, high-capacity link (air interface) between the on-device intelligence and the intelligence at the cloud edge. This is a practical example of what we at Qualcomm refer to as the Connected Intelligent Edge.
Global adoption
In North America and Japan, where 5G mmWave has been utilized for some time, consumers have been enjoying its benefits, as in the examples above. It’s exciting to see more countries — 30 to date — making 5G mmWave spectrum available to local operators, recognizing the need for additional 5G capacity.
In February, Telefonica Spain deployed the first commercial 5G mmWave network in Barcelona. In March, Ofcom in the United Kingdom announced mmWave spectrum auctions, stating, “It will be particularly beneficial in locations, where demands on current networks mean mobile data speeds can be sluggish.”2
So, while 5G mmWave is poised to enable new consumer mobile experiences such as extended reality, and industrial applications, 5G mmWave is already enhancing how we interact with and connect with our world through video on our favorite devices.
1. Sbeglia Nin. (March 8, 2023). MmWave the ‘star’ of the SuperBowl, says Verizon exec. RCR Wireless. Retrieved on March 29, 2023 from https://www.rcrwireless.com/20230308/venues/mmwave-the-star-of-the-super-bowl-says-verizon-exec.
2. Ofcom. (March 13, 2023). Statement and further consultation: Enabling mmWave spectrum for new uses. Retrieved on March 29, 2023 on Ofcom paves the way for improved 5G and innovative new wireless services - Ofcom
