Orange Belgium is the first to present 5G real use case demos in Belgium

5G is the latest development in mobile networks, that supplements and is compatible with previous generations (2G, 3G, 4G). It will provide various improvements (in terms of speed, latency, reliability, scalability, flexibility, security, coverage and capacity) allowing new uses such as virtual and augmented reality, critical IoT, connected vehicles, eHealth, industrial applications, etc. Beyond this technological development, 5G will foster the digital transformation of most economic sectors (health, transport, industrial production…). These include connected robotics such as real-time remote surgery, autonomous transport and vehicles, industry 4.0, smart cities, etc.. Today, Orange Belgium and Nokia presented the first 5G real use cases demos in Belgium.

Orange Belgium strongly believes in the potential of 5G with regard to the development of new services that will benefit of citizens and enterprises. The deployment of 5G will be one of the major achievements in telecom technology for the next decade. To make it a success, an evolution of the regulatory and administrative framework will be required, as well as major investments from the operators to ensure a seamless connectivity in areas that are essential to all users.

Orange and Nokia’s 5G demos illustrate the possibilities of the 5G technology

Orange is investing heavily in its network in preparation for the new 5G technology that is expected to be deployed as from 2020. Today Orange and Nokia demonstrated the first proof points of the technology. At the Castle of Colonster in Liège, Orange and Nokia presented five use cases that illustrate the potential of 5G. A part from the speed test where Orange and Nokia reached a 6 Gbit per second throughput – the fastest speed ever demonstrated in a field demo in Belgium in 3.5GHz band, what really matters are the use cases. From that perspective, Orange and Nokia demonstrated:

• A 3D holographic live concert: the demo developed by Nokia and MimesysVB showcased in real-time a 3D video reconstruction of a musical performance, streamed over 5G as a 3D hologram within a virtual reality (VR) environment;

• Live 360° camera and streaming via virtual reality glasses: the VR headset users watched videos with a 360° panoramic view, captured with a 360° camera and transferred over 5G, enabling a 8K live video. The camera was equipped with 8 sensors and microphones for a jaw-dropping immersive experience showing beautiful images of the castle of Colonster where the demo was held.

• Balancing robots: three constantly moving robots had to keep a little ball in the centre of a plate that was balancing between them. This demo illustrated possible applications of 5G in the “factory of the future”, where 5G will enable real-time communication between machines thanks to the low latency and the high reliability.

• Autonomous cars: the interactive demo showed the importance of latency for communication between autonomous cars to streamline traffic. Players drove toy cars around a track and experienced the difference between a connection over ‘3G’, ‘4G’ or ‘5G’.

• Sector One, Belgian’s professional esports team sponsored by Orange Belgium, connected 3 gaming computers via 5G to play League of Legends, Hearthstone and FIFA 18. The low latency of the 5G technology gives the players an amazing experience and brings mobile video gaming to a whole other dimension.

The Orange network is ready to welcome 5G technology

Orange Group CEO Stéphane Richard reacts: “I am very pleased to be part of this milestone of Orange Belgium in Liège. We already demonstrated the advantages of 5G in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress earlier this year and we are working closely within the standardization bodies to develop the 5G technology. We are committed to deploying the 5G networks with standardized, interoperable and enriched equipment and functions all across Europe.”

Orange Belgium CEO Michaël Trabbia adds: “We are very proud to demonstrate real 5G use cases that go beyond a simple speed test and to stage as a ‘première’ in Liège the benefits of a high capacity, high reliability and low latency connectivity for the customers. For residential consumers 5G will allow an increasing use of very high-definition videos and real time immersive augmented/virtual reality experiences. In the professional sphere, 5G will allow us to offer dedicated and tailor made connectivity adapted to specific requirements of new innovative applications such as wireless manufacturing, real-time automation, smart cities, Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, remote medical assistance, etc. With the support of the Orange Group, one of the main worldwide telecom operators, Orange Belgium is definitely ready for 5G!”

Marc Rouanne, president of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: " Through a 3D holographic demo of a live concert, we are showing the 5G potential for enabling on-demand virtual and augmented reality experiences. Working with Orange, we are pleased to showcase several services based on the capabilities of higher data speed, massive connectivity and a super-responsive, reliable 5G network.”