Airtel showcases future of immersive video entertainment on 5G in new initiative

In a bid to showcase the future of immersive video experience, Airtel attempted to recreate the in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev’s 175 not out vs Zimbabwe during the 1983 Cricket World Cup over its 5G test network, as part of its latest initiative.

Bharti Airtel (Airtel) launched its recent initiative with its 5G’s high-speed, low latency capabilities to showcase the future of video entertainment and aim to take the user experience to the next level. This was done as it attempted to recreate the in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev’s famous 175 not out vs Zimbabwe, during the 1983 Cricket World Cup. A special 175 Replayed video, in 4K mode, brought key moments from the match to life, which had no video footage due to a strike by TV technicians.

With speeds of over 1 Gbps and latency of under 20 ms, more than 50 concurrent users enjoyed a highly personalized 4K video experience of the match on 5G smartphones, with real-time access to multiple camera angles, 360-degree in-stadia view, shot analysis, and stats. To take it a notch higher, the session was made with India’s first 5G-powered hologram interactions with Kapil Dev. The Airtel 5G-powered virtual avatar of the legendary cricketer appeared on the stage, to interact with the fans in real-time and walk them through the key moments of his innings.

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Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel, “The gigabit speeds and millisecond latency of 5G will transform the way we consume entertainment. With today’s demonstration, we have only scratched the surface of the infinite possibilities of 5G and highly personalized immersive experiences in the digital world. With 5G-based holograms, we will be able to transport virtual avatars to any location and this will be a game-changer for meetings and conferences, LIVE news, and will have so many other use cases. Airtel is fully prepared for 5G in this emerging digital world and is building a solid pipeline of innovative use cases for India. We also take this opportunity to thank the Department of Telecom for giving us the trial spectrum, to validate our technology and use cases.”

Describing his experience, Kapil Dev, added, “I am simply amazed by the power of 5G technology and seeing my digital avatar interact with my fans as if I am actually there. Thank you Airtel for this wonderful effort and bringing to life one of the most important innings of my career.”

Airtel conducted the demonstration at its Network Experience Center in Manesar (Gurugram) using Ericsson 5G Radio in NSA and SA modes over 3500 MHz band test spectrum allotted by the Department of Telecom, Government of India.