5G to transform sports experience

5G will transform the sports experience for Indian fans in stadiums and at home, according to research conducted by Ovum for Amdocs, a leading provider of software and services to communications and media companies.

Nearly 75% of Indian network operators taking part in the study plan to use virtual reality (VR) and all of them (100%) plan to use augmented reality (AR), supported by 5G, to offer richer viewing experiences to fans, both at the sports stadium and watching at home.

Promising speeds up to tens of times faster and lower latency than 4G, 5G opens up the possibilities for new types of entertainment and in-stadium experiences. Audiences could, for example, watch instant replays and 360-degree streams or look up player stats via AR and VR technology, bringing them much closer to the action.

5G will also transform the at-home viewing experience of sports events, with 75% of Indian operators planning to offer new multi-screen Pay-TV services. 5G will improve mobile TV and video quality and increase the range of mobile content available to audiences, across a range of consumer devices and services.

The research said Indian fans may not have to wait very long to enjoy enhanced sports fan experiences. Seventy-five percent of Indian operators plan to trial 5G within sports and esports venues by the end of 2020; all plan to launch commercial 5G services by end of 2021.