5G Technology & Sports: The Perfect Partnership
According to Amdocs, a leading services and software provider to media and communications companies of all sizes, the average user will encounter 5G (fifth generation) at a sporting event in 2020.
What does 5G bring to the sporting world? According to experts, 5G will reshape the way fans can engage with their favorite teams. 5g offers fans a richer viewing experience both at a stadium or from home. 5G will use both Augmented Reality (AR — uses technology to superimpose information like sound, images, and text onto the world we see in front of us) and Virtual Reality (VR — allows individuals to transport themselves into a 3-D computer generated environment like the sideline of a game) or a combination of the two to give audiences the capability to look up player stats, watch 360-degree streams or watch instant replays. Additionally, 81% of operators plan to offer viewers at home a ‘new multi-screen pay TV and subscription internet video streaming service.’
How is this all possible? 5G is expected to bring faster speeds and lower latency which leads to a higher connectivity speed. The faster speeds allow fans to download images and videos up to ten times faster than what most all of us have today with 4G. Lower latency means there will be shorter delays between when data is downloaded and sent and when users receive that data. The higher level of connectivity also allows multiple devices to communicate concurrently. To summarize, 5G technology allows massive amounts of data to transfer to massive amounts of people seamlessly and at lightning speed. This speed opens up a large range of new possibilities for in-stadium and entertainment experiences.
What is pushing operators to have 5G ready by 2020? Researchers have stated that 70% of operators want the technology ready for major sporting events in 2020 and ¼ of operators plan to introduce 5G at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Japan’s DoCoMo has partnered with Nokia to ensure increased internet speed which leads to an increase in data transmission.
“It’s essential for operators to find successful use cases for 5G given the investment levels. Amdocs’ research has revealed that major live sports events could hold the key to consumer adoption of 5G,” stated Gary Miles, chief marketing officer at Amdocs. “Expect to see the first of these new services and applications rolled out in conjunction with the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and soccer tournaments in Europe, among other big events in the sports calendar.”
Additionally, the NBA’s Sacramento Kings are using 5G technology to give fans the ultimate fan experience through the use of AR and VR. The Kings worked together with Verizon to provide students VR goggles that allow them to watch games like they were there. Through a new app called NBA AR Basketball, fans could enjoy games from the comfort of home while also enjoying an AR experience made possible by 360 portals. Through the use of the VR goggles, fans were able to get a sneak peek of the pregame, postgame and various moments throughout the warm-up. However, as we are still in the testing stage, this feature was only available in the Conference Finals and NBA Finals.
Another team taking advantage of the advancements in 5G technology is European soccer club Barcelona. The club partnered with mobile operator GSMA (Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association) and Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica in order to build a more immersive broadcasting experience for soccer enthusiasts. The partnership is all part of the 5G Stadium-Immersive Reality Project which was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress this past week.
Multiple wireless 360-degree cameras will be installed around Barcelona’s Nou Camp Stadium including near the dugouts and next to the goal. These cameras will be connected to the 5G network enabling fans at home to use VR glasses to watch live matches as if they were actually in the stadium. The 5G network will also be used to provide virtual stadium tours as well as capture behind the-scenes action and team practice sessions. The 5G technology will be available on the field as well as in the stands using a standard 3GPP Ericsson network and Telefónica’s commercial frequency band.
“For FC Barcelona it is a great pride that Camp Nou is the first football stadium in Europe with 5G internal coverage,” stated Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu. “Thanks to the agreement between FC Barcelona and GSMA, with the participation of Telefónica, we have put the Camp Nou as an innovation laboratory available to the most advanced technology in mobile phones.”
“The 5G Stadium-Immersive Reality in sports pilot programme is further proof that the technology industry is diversifying towards new sectors, and becoming more and more relevant,” added GSMA chief executive John Hoffman. “With immersive reality, new generations will experience sports differently and sports fans will be offered unprecedented access, and will also be able to customise their own experiences from any angle in 360-degree.”
The remodel of Barcelona’s Nou Camp will be a part of the €600 million Espai Barca project. Changes are set to include a new stadium capacity of 105,000 as well as a new roof to cover all sets along the perimeter of the stadium that house restaurants and VIP boxes.
With so much potential, where do the experts stand on 5G? According to the Amdocs survey given to C-Level executives from the 100 largest world telecom operators, 37% stated that they“intend to own a sports team in the 5G era.”
In conclusion, “This is likely to result in growing investments in 5G connectivity and services at stadiums and large venues.”
“5G is not just a new wireless technology from a network equipment provider. It’s a fundamental transformation of mobile networks, infrastructure and business models,” stated Ed Barton, the chief analyst, consumer and entertainment at Ovum, the Amdocs research arm that conducted the survey. “It will drive the creation of new applications and services, which in turn will require new operating and business models, force changes across operator technology setups and emphasize the need to integrate the new with the old.”
As 5G technology continues to grow, operators are working to ensure these new services will be available to all. This will mean an upgrade in devices for all consumers. Because of that, 43% of operators plan to fund 5G-enabled smartphones, 1/3 would subsidize 5G-tablets and ¼ will do the same for mixed and augments reality headsets. The cost of implementing 5G is great, but if successful the possibilities are endless.
The world of technology and sports is ever-changing. Stay tuned for more updates on the status of 5G.
