5g

IBC technology advisor Mark Smith predicted that 5G would boost the power of mobile networks to distribute media and entertainment content.

Deloitte media consultant Khalid Hayat forecast a future of cloud-based multi-platform, high-speed networks, feeding a wide range of platforms and devices, with not just subscription video on demand (SVoD) but cheaper, ad-sup- ported VoD at perhaps half the subscription rates.

Ask attendees of this year’s IBC about what caught their eye at the giant Amsterdam tech fest, and only a few will cite new product launches.

Instead, they’ll talk about the technology trends that were evident at the trade show, and about how they left the event with a far better understanding of the future direction of travel in the complex and ever-evolving world of broadcast technology.

Chicago and Minneapolis may not seem like the homes of cutting­edge technology but, on 3 April, they became the world’s first two cities with commercial 5G mobile services serving 5G-enabled smartphones.

The service was launched by US carrier Verizon, keen to beat several Korean rivals to the bragging rights for commercialising 5G first, if only by a few hours.

Ericsson’s Steve Plunkett and EE’s Matt Stagg outlined the current state and potential of 5G, which is due to launch officially in 2020, to the Thames Valley Centre in mid-November.