Sprint and Ericsson on Tuesday said their public 5G demonstration at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., delivered speeds of 4 gbps while streaming live 4K video.
According to Sprint, the tests were conducted on 15 GHz spectrum in the stadium parking lot during the 2016 Copa America soccer tournament. The demonstration allowed fans to kick a soccer ball into a connected net that provided instant statistics and view live streaming 4K video. Sprint said the tests demonstrated “low millisecond latency” but did not give an exact figure.
Sprint Technology COO Günther Ottendorfer said the demonstration represented a glimpse into the future of sporting events with 5G.
“It won’t be long before sports fans begin to have a much more immersive and connected wireless experience using virtual reality systems, connected sensors, and live 4K data streams,” Ottendorfer said. “It’s great to be here today and give soccer fans a glimpse at some of the exciting applications ahead.”
Sprint’s Philadelphia demonstration with Ericsson follows its execution of a similar 5G test with Nokia earlier this month at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The Nokia test, which also involved live streaming of 4K video and virtual reality experiences, yielded speeds of up to 2.3 gbps using 73 GHz spectrum. Sprint said that test supported spectral bandwidth of 1 GHz and one way air interface latency of about one millisecond.
Sprint CTO John Saw said the tests “demonstrate how far we have come technologically” and said Sprint’s 2.5 GHz holdings will give it an edge for 5G.
“With holdings of more than 160 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the top 100 U.S. markets, we hold more 5G-capable spectrum than any other carrier,” Saw said. “This gives us great confidence in our position for 5G.”
Going forward, Sprint said it plans to leverage multiple carrier aggregation, Co-ordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) with coordinated beamforming and massive MIMO to boost the capacity and coverage of its 2.5 GHz spectrum.
