How 5G will change the augmented reality devices and services

Each mobile communication generation gives impetus to a new spurt of mobile technologies, expands the range of services and content formats available to us. We predicted some innovations, others were unexpected.

It’s hard to imagine how the technology world will change in 3–6 years, but we can say for sure the following: 5G with its data transfer speeds will have a profound impact on our perception of information and will unbox the full range of our creativity. And this is exactly what is necessary for the development of augmented reality.

The main advantages of the fifth-generation networks for the AR market are very accurately formulated by Qualcomm’s representative Pat Lawlor. It is and Extreme Mobile Broadband, xMBB for the transmission of «heavy» content, with stable high speed – over 10 Gbit/s, and with the reduction of the delay of data transmission up to 1 ms. That is, with 5G, we will be able to transmit more data per unit of time at a stable high speed, while the response to our actions and changes in the environment will become instantaneous.

Let’s talk about the main cases, in which it is useful.

Creating AR glasses with in-depth use of cloud computing

In October 2017, Tim Cook, the head of Apple, denied rumors about the development of AR-glasses, saying that there are no suitable technologies for this kind of development to be done. He explained that a new quality of the display with a wide field of view is required, as well as miniaturization of devices, otherwise the user will have to place heavy electronics on his head, which is extremely inconvenient. Look at the smartphone – you obviously don`t want to wear such a big and heavy device on your face, and its processing power is still not enough for realistic integration of virtual objects into the real environment.

The form factor of the smartphone has already been developed and achieved an optimal balance between convenience, functionality and appearance. AR-glasses have to go this way almost from scratch. To optimize, they will have to get rid of most on-board computing facilities, relying on receiving data from cloud services. To do this, all the listed advantages of 5G will be needed, and especially – the stability of communication and the uniformity of the coverage, which will prevent disruptions while working with applications.

Using augmented reality on classic smartphones and tablets

Of course, glasses are the ideal device for viewing AR content, but they still have to «grow» to the stage of mass consumption. Today, the most effective AR-tool from the point of view of user experience is clearly the smartphones.

So, how will fifth generation communication affect smartphones?

1) Smartphones can become mobile computing modules for ultra-light and simple glasses. In this scenario, glasses in a certain sense will take the place of Bluetooth audio headsets.

2) Increasing the data transfer rate will finally save us from annoying loads. Because of them, many users abandon the augmented reality mode in navigation and gaming applications. The same applies to loading dynamic 3D graphics, which, due to a «bad» connection, isn’t stable and destroys the effect of immersing the user in 3D content.

3) The problem of lack of free space will ease. New algorithms for storing media data will play a significant role here, but also the fast and stable mobile communication will allow you to simply store more content on cloud.

4) Finally, AR applications will cease to absorb the battery’s charge with such appetite, since many calculations will be implemented on the servers side, freeing the on-board processors. The latter may be less affected by Apple products, the philosophy of which assumes maximum optimization of the calculations on the final device. Battery consumption will also decrease due to optimization of the 5G equipment itself, such as modems for mobile electronics.

Growth of popularity of AR cloud-based mobile services based on geolocation data and local visual navigation

Applications are a much more extensive topic than devices, to think about while talking about 5G’s capabilities. Not all applications need to work with cloud data sources. For some of them this is even harmful. Simple games or industrial cases where the reaction speed is important and which don’t need to process big data and update a large device base is not about cloud. Although developers can integrate additional cloud functionality into them.

Nevertheless, there are many applications, where a permanent Internet connection is absolutely necessary. First of all, this concerns solutions with navigation and a huge amount of data, such as 3D models made with Paint 3D, Tilt Brush and other modern creative tools.

A particularly strong 5G boost will help geolocation games development, such as Pokemon Go, and augmented reality information services, as well as various browsers and platforms for content distribution. They will introduce into the AR space: navigation, advertising, localized services, trade and many other areas that are now actively seeking new interactive formats for interaction with the consumer. Therefore, a direct connection with potential client will become much more effective than the classical scenarios.

All 5G advantages will become available (at the same time!) for augmented reality platforms, geolocation services, which combine tools for creating content, its monetization and consumption. One such project is the Arcona Ecosystem.

The introduction of 5G for Arcona is an additional guarantee, reliability of operation and users comfort. By getting the lots of the digital layer of the Earth at their disposal, the content developers will be able to build them up with many 3D models. Information about the entire Digital Land and the objects located on it is stored on servers, where it is downloaded to user devices. And the faster and more stable this process will be, the more realistic and exciting the new Arcona world will look like.

Freedom of land use implies that landowners can run any legal action on it, such as trade, advertising activity, geolocation and static games, and gather events. For real-time activity, reduction in transmission delays is critical and this will be ensured by the fifth-generation communication technologies. Channel expansion will help to process a much larger number of variables simultaneously with a high speed.

In fact, this means that the world of augmented reality will be visually richer and will be able to offer more interesting projects. Blockchain will give Arcona’s rapidly expanding trade system transparency and logic.

Every ten years a new generation of mobile communications is entering the market. During this time, peak speeds increased from 1.9 kilobits to 1 gigabit per second. And our world has changed: a huge number of pocket computers, cars, TVs and Internet of things devices entered our lifes, becoming absolutely familiar. 5G promises to bring the mobile Internet bandwidth up to 20 gigabit, making it more stable, efficient and flexible.

The first commercial implementations of 5G are expected in 2018. All of them are timed to major sporting events. For example, South Korean mobile operator KT Corporation promises to launch fifth-generation networks at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Russian «Megafon» and MTS want to deploy a new generation of networks at the upcoming World Cup. Mass introduction is planned for 2020.

Meanwhile, the augmented reality, has already become an integral part of the operating systems Android, iOS and Windows. It will take another couple of years to perfect the consumer functions, and by 2020 the major technological powers, including Russia, the US and China, will be able to transfer their AR designs to the 5G rails, making a giant leap in their qualities.

By mid-2019, Arcona will enter the market with full functionality and will be ready for the fifth generation revolution. Our global platform will become one of the pioneers of the new mobile world, which will open the door to millions of free users.