With the whole world shrunken to mobile devices, every app is created with the sole intention of providing a better end-user experience. Improved network performance with the launch of 5G will benefit every business area and in turn, impacting the immersive experience for consumers. The demand for enhanced mobile broadband continues to increase with more human-centric use cases in various new application areas and enhanced requirements concerning performance and user experience.
Their first and foremost priority is to bring in latency-free services in this network-centric era. Consumers expect high bandwidth for the consumption of data-intensive sectors, like online gaming, video streaming, stockbroking, commodities trading, and VoIP. Other areas include user-centric computing, crowded area services, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), telepresence, massive content streaming, and mobile edge computing with small cell base stations.
Media, Entertainment and Latency
Media consumption habits in Indian users have seen a drastic change in recent times and the consumption rate on a constant increase. Content providers are coming up with ultra-high fidelity media via internet connections, video on demand and hyper-targeted content and advertising. Content providers are creating the next generation of video formats, which will be more data-intensive than current standards – asking for a much faster network environment.
VR, AR and Mixed Reality along with 5G support will catch the attention of users for a more immersive experience and enhanced storytelling. Users will be able to view ambient content adapted based on their surroundings, like; home, moving vehicles, etc. There will be an advent of collaborative gaming, being transported from “one fixed place” experience towards an “anywhere” experience using multiple 5G connected devices.
Speed, Latency and User Experience
Latency and throughput define the speed of a network. Latency is the time required for single data transaction to take place from a device to the server and back, whereas, throughput is the quantity of data that can transfer from a device to the server in given time. Latency is measured in milliseconds or ms. These two elements are vital in defining the network performance and speed of a given network. With 5G, users will have exceptionally stable performance and enhanced experience.
Less Latency Equals More Online Time
The tolerable waiting time for users will be further reduced by the launch of 5G, which will increase the users’ internet activity time. Users are already active in the Internet and discussions on network performance are increasing. So, fast response time will make happy users and in turn, increasing revenues for the service providers. All services like content providers, online shopping, online gaming, multimedia, IP based applications, etc. all benefit from low latency.
The Solution for Improving the End-User Experience
Various service providers have varied technical viewpoints for the 5G services, all intending to maximise the satisfaction of the end users. 5G will leverage more spectral bands and wider bandwidths to boost capacity to provide ultra-reliable and low latency communications. 5G is anticipated to bring a 10X improvement in throughout, a 10X decrease in latency, a 100X increase in network efficiency over 4G.
