NAB
Emerging experiences based on massive multiplayer gaming and
location based augmented reality require instantaneous two-way interaction
between data farm and user. The technology that brings this into reach is
Mobile Edge Computer (MEC). It relocates processing and power closer to the
user, reducing the round-trip latency to milliseconds.
According to global tech market advisory firm ABI
Research, 5G edge networks will unlock cloud video revenues totaling $67.5
billion by 2024, that’s a growth rate of 67% since 2019.
5G and edge networks will extend gaming into a fully
immersive, multi-sensorial environment with multi-player collaboration to
access and play the same game, the researcher says. This will drive 119 million
cloud gaming users by 2024.
Telcos, or communications service providers CSPs, stand to
gain. “The tectonic shift in the entertainment sector toward streaming of
video, music, and games is exciting for CSPs to tap into,” explains Don Alusha,
Senior Analyst, 5G Core & Edge Networks at ABI Research. “5G edge networks
integrate cellular architecture with IT and cloud infrastructure to reduce
end-to-end latency for a multitude of services and use cases.”
For example, using 5G and the MEC, content can be processed
by multiple users in different locations in a simultaneous fashion. Further,
the content can be reused for different requirements like second screens,
interactive game. The ability to create content in a rapid fashion and in
multiple locations can reduce media production costs and timescales, ABI says,
indicating that the likes of Vodafone, Orange, SK Telecom, and LG UPLUS are
already taking advantage of this.
Alusha says, “For example, there are 1.5 billion AR enabled
devices today (across smartphones, tablets, and smart glasses), and that is
before the consumer AR smart glasses wave has even begun. With the advent of 5G
and edge capabilities, 2021 and beyond will be a time in which partnerships and
collaborations between Amazon, Google, Microsoft and telcos will flourish for
both the enterprise and consumer markets.”
Moving Streaming Production to the Cloud
For telcos, there will be even more opportunities to partner
with AI, and VR/AR and software developers who might benefit from 5G speeds to
deliver more immersive and accurate experiences.
Promoting its own study as providing the answer, ABI
suggests, “The first step for the industry is to understand the value at stake
from gaming, media, and entertainment use cases and be ready to move in at the
right moment. The question for [telcos], hyperscalers [like Amazon], and
network equipment vendors is whether they can find a reasonable commercial
basis for taking action that will be predictable and positively affect top line
revenues.”
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