Japanese telecom operator SoftBank in association with Huawei demonstrated potential use cases for a 5G network to SoftBank’s business partners in Japan.

SoftBank is aiming to launch 5G services in 2020.

Real-time UHD video transmission using ultra-high throughput, remote control of robotic arm using ultra-low latency transmission and remote rendering via a GPU server using edge computing were part of the 5G demo.

The real-time UHD video transmission demonstrated throughput of over 800 Mbps. The remote control of the robotic arm demonstrated an ultra-low latency one-way transmission of less than 2ms.

SoftBank has installed a UHD camera inside the demonstration room to capture outdoor scenery. SoftBank compressed the data from this camera in real-time using an encoder and transmitted through the 5G network to a UHD monitor via a decoder. The UHD monitor displayed the scenery of the Odaiba Tokyo Bay using the 5G network. Tele-health or tele-education can utilize 5G networks for stabilizing revenue.

SoftBank demonstrated a robotic arm playing an air hockey game against a human. This technology can be applied to factory automation, for example.

Rendering technology is used for generating HD videos in computer games or for CAD (Computer Aided Design). HD computer games or HD CADs were not executable on tablets or smartphones on their own. Edge computing technology provided by 5G network allows to enjoy HD computer games or HD CADs on tablets or smartphones.

A GPU server located near a 5G base station performed rendering and the image generated by the GPU server was sent to the tablet over the ultra-high throughput and ultra-low latency 5G network. This technology can be applied to check the CAD data at a construction site with a tablet or to enjoy a HD game application on a smartphone.