Australia’s Optus has launched what it called its ‘first public showcase using a live Optus 5G network’, with the cellco simultaneously showcasing 5G use cases and 8K video streaming on-the-go, on its live 5G trial indoor and outdoor network.
For the duration of the Commonwealth Games, which are currently being held on Australia’s Gold Coast, Optus will showcase multiple user applications connected through a 5G system in the suburb of Broadbeach. Within its ‘Optus 5G Technology Showcase’, the cellco aims to offer a preview of the state-of-the-art technology, offering the public a chance to go hands-on with a number demonstrations of virtual reality (VR) use cases. In addition, Optus claims to have successfully streamed 8K video over its outdoor 5G network. This has reportedly been achieved via a van equipped with an 8K television, which itself carries ‘a prototype 5G device with the live trial network in operation’. This demonstration will reportedly allow users to see how video content can maintain ultra-high quality streaming levels on the move.
Commenting on the matter, Dennis Wong, Managing Director of Optus Networks, said: ‘What we have here today is a spectacular simultaneous demonstration of 5G capability, powered by a live 5G network, rather than through simulations … For people to be able to walk off the street and interact with real 5G technology is an incredibly exciting development as we continue towards leading in the delivery of the first phase of 5G technology in 2019.’