A1 tests 8K streaming over 5G

Austrian telco A1 is today debuting a test of 8K video streaming via its 5G networkat the  Alpbach 2019 European Forum.

A1 teamed up with technology partners Nokia and Samsung for the project.

The telco expanded the mobile Internet infrastructure in the Tyrolean town, upgrading four existing outdoor transmitters with 5G ‘Massive MiMo’ antennas, and equipping the Forum venue with an indoor transmitter.

A1 said that speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps have been enabled in the building. All five transmitters have been connected to the internet with 10 Gbps connections. A1 CEO Marcus Grausam is presenting the first 8K video streaming via 5G at the A1 booth in the lobby of the Congress Centre.

The Alpbach European Forum has taken place every year since in the Tyrolean mountain village.

A1 Telekom Austria Group CEO Thomas Arnoldner said: “5G is the basis for all future developments of the mobile Internet and will open up unimagined possibilities for new services. In addition to industrial applications, the Internet of Things and real-time communication for autonomous vehicles or drones, higher bandwidths and faster response times will open up new applications for residential customers, such as virtual reality or cloud gaming. In the future, 5G will also play a key role in supplying rural areas with Gigabit-capable connections.”

Grausam said: “8K video streaming will be among the applications that require maximum bandwidth. High-definition videos are extremely hungry for data and would take the existing networks to the limits of their performance. With this premiere we will show what will be possible in the A1 5Giganet.”