Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are revolutionizing business, education and entertainment – and with 5G, they may finally realize their full potential.
5G offers high speeds, low latency, and massive capacity increases. Furthermore, 5G supports network slicing to enable operators to tailor connections specifically to specific use cases and offer them on an as-a-service basis.
Improved Connectivity
5G technology stands out as being particularly fast and bandwidth-rich compared to its 4G predecessor, achieved through new bands of radio spectrum capable of delivering higher speeds than their lower-frequency predecessors. Furthermore, 5G uses network slicing architecture that divides physical networks into virtual ones in order to offer different capacities depending on how each slice is being utilized – for instance, by providing dedicated capacities for self-driving cars.
5G technology not only boasts fast data transfer rates but also boasts low latency – the delay between when an action is taken and when its results can be seen – making immersive applications like gaming more realistic and immersive, such as AR/VR experiences. With reduced latency, AR and VR experiences become more immersive.
Augmented reality (AR) adds digital overlays to live views, while virtual reality (VR) creates an entirely immersive and interactive experience. Both technologies can be utilized across industries and applications for various uses.
5G can enable immersive AR shopping experiences for consumers in retail, allowing them to try on clothes or accessories from their own homes – leading to increased customer engagement and conversion rates.
AR/VR can play an invaluable role in healthcare and telemedicine, which can be enhanced with 5G’s high bandwidth and speedy connectivity. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients were treated remotely using remote healthcare services such as telehealth consultations and surgical procedures performed via remote access; AR and VR enabled physicians to view real-time anatomical visualizations to aid with performing complex surgeries and diagnostic procedures more quickly and safely.
AR/VR technology can also be utilized for training and education purposes, as well as industrial applications requiring reliable connectivity, such as autonomous cars. 5G makes this possible by offering extremely high device density, faster cloud connections between sensors, and the ability to create dedicated network slices for critical communications – not to mention reduced power consumption over previous generations of mobile networks, enabling connected objects to run for months or years on their own.
Reduced Latency
AR and VR technologies require low latency, or the time between user actions and system responses, for an engaging experience. Real-time data can also be utilized to augment and contextualize virtual and augmented reality experiences; when customers use an AR application to try on shoes or look at paint colours for their home, live instructions from sales associates may appear on-screen to guide them through this process – saving both cost and increasing employee productivity and satisfaction at once!
5G Networks Deliver Higher Data Transfer Rates
5G networks boast significantly higher data transfer rates than previous wireless technology generations, enabling the transmission of large volumes of information needed for AR and VR applications. Furthermore, increased data rates allow for a more realistic visualization of environments, which provides users with an immersive experience.
5G provides remote rendering technology for AR and VR apps, where computationally intensive rendering tasks are offloaded onto powerful servers for streaming to user devices. This reduces processing power requirements on mobile devices, making AR/VR experiences more accessible to a broader range of users.
Gaming on 5G provides gamers with an enhanced gaming experience by eliminating the need for expensive hardware. 5G’s fast data speeds and low latency also allow real-time multiplayer gaming experiences, further strengthening social interactions while creating an immersive and connected gaming experience.
Telemedicine: 5G Telemedicine With 5G technology, doctors can remotely consult with patients using AR/VR headsets to access 3D models of digitalized objects and simulated spaces in real-time for accurate diagnoses and treatments.
5G-enabled AR and VR can provide students with immersive learning experiences that help them visualize complex concepts, explore historical landmarks, or conduct scientific experiments safely in a controlled environment. This helps increase engagement in classroom sessions while simultaneously improving retention rates of knowledge retention as well as encouraging critical thinking skills development.
Enhance Public Services.
Enhanced Mobility
5G offers not only faster data rates but also reduced latency, which enhances AR/VR experiences, thanks to edge computing, which brings processing power directly to network edges rather than requiring the use of remote servers for processing power. This enables AR/VR applications to render and process data faster and more efficiently for smoother experiences with reduced battery usage.
5G technology relies on radio frequency waves that connect wireless devices to the internet and telephone networks. While earlier generations of mobile networks utilized low- and medium-band frequencies, 5G utilizes bands much higher up in the spectrum – commonly referred to as millimetre waves – with increased capacity for carrying data at high speeds. Thanks to these millimetre waves’ increased data capacity, as well as other improvements, AR/VR experiences can now be more widely applied to everyday situations.
Drivers taking road trips can benefit from 5G connectivity by engaging in immersive virtual travel experiences such as viewing historical landmarks or conducting scientific experiments without leaving their car. Meanwhile, business users can remain connected from home or while on the move, and students can use interactive field trips and hands-on activities using augmented reality to learn complex subjects – all made possible thanks to 5G’s speedy connections.
5G can also benefit companies using mission-critical applications by isolating different kinds of data in separate network slices. This means companies using mission-critical apps can prioritize data traffic without impacting other users; this feature is known as Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC). URLLC helps explain why 5G supports such a wide range of use cases.
Factory automation can benefit significantly from 5G by enabling machines to communicate more securely between themselves and with the cloud more rapidly and swiftly, which will reduce errors and speed up production while cutting costs and training needs. Farmers can make better decisions using quick data gathered from sensors, which show them what crops require watering, fertilizing or pest protection.
Increased Realism
5G’s enhanced connectivity and low latency enable it to offer an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience by accessing more data faster and communicating in shorter periods. As VR content can be updated much more frequently and with less of a delay between actions taken by a user and their results being seen, 5G offers an engaging VR experience for its users.
This feature is especially beneficial in multiplayer gaming, where communicating and interacting in real-time in a virtual environment has an immense effect on gameplay. Furthermore, this technology also makes devices used for VR lighter and more portable while still offering an engaging experience – thus increasing accessibility as more people will have access to this technology regardless of cost or accessibility issues.
5G’s edge computing capabilities also bring processing closer to the user, further improving latency and realism. This feature can be especially beneficial for AR/VR content rendering as it enables content rendering quicker on-device instead of over the network; it also prolongs battery life since more processing tasks are being handled by 5G rather than being left to individual devices.
5G offers low latency for healthcare and telemedicine applications, enabling surgeons to perform remote robotic surgeries with real-time haptic feedback and minimal lag – expanding the reach of medical expertise as doctors can remotely diagnose patients. Furthermore, IoT sensors deployed within healthcare facilities allow monitoring of patients’ conditions and provide valuable data that enable personalized medicine and early intervention.
5G connectivity enables AR and VR experiences in new markets that were previously inaccessible or impractical due to connectivity restrictions, for instance, allowing virtual field trips for students visiting historical sites, museums, or any other destination around the world without having to physically travel there – potentially giving more children an insight into its history and culture.