A live concert in virtual reality? It's possible thanks to 5G
For the first time in Belgium, a concert has been broadcast live as if you were there thanks to 5G. A few dozen spectators gathered at Proximus headquarters were able to attend a concert by the Belgian artist Konoba, organized at the Ancienne Belgique concert hall and broadcast live like never before in the Proximus towers, thanks to a 5G SA (Stand Alone) antenna installed in the Proximus buildings. An opportunity to discover a completely innovative digital experience. However, this type of event should become more common over the next few years as Proximus continues to deploy fiber optics and 5G, the two broadband networks of the future.
5G technology opens up a new world of possibilities. That sure sounds great, but what does it actually mean? To give a more tangible illustration of the advances made possible by 5G, Proximus decided to organize a one-of-a-kind event. It gave a handful of users a taste of the digital experiences that await us in our daily lives in the years to come.
A few days ago, Proximus teamed up with the legendary Ancienne Belgique concert hall to film a concert by Belgian artist Konoba using a 360-degree camera placed at the center of the stage. The concert’s images were broadcast live in the atrium of the Proximus headquarters, located a few kilometers away, where the spectators could follow the show as if they were there thanks to a virtual reality headset and 5G smartphones made available to them.
The broadcasting of this unique concert, which gave the spectators the impression of being on stage with the artists, was made possible by a 5G SA antenna installed in the Proximus towers. This equipment is the fruit of the "5G Innovation Platform" developed by Proximus. This innovation platform aims to further the research and development into 5G in order to deploy the best possible technology in the near future. The potential of this new 5G antenna goes far beyond what is possible today, as demonstrated by the live broadcast of the Konoba concert in high definition and virtual reality. With this 5G deployment, Proximus will work with other partners to demonstrate innovative applications that will change our world.
Further tests will follow in the coming months
This test event was also an opportunity for Proximus to highlight the complementarity between fiber and 5G, which are the two high-speed networks of the future, since the fiber network installed in the Ancienne Belgique allowed data to be sent at high speed, with reception being ensured by the 5G antenna available in Proximus' towers. This complementarity offers spectators a stunning immersive experience.
On the strength of this first experiment, with particularly encouraging results, Proximus and its partners are already preparing other tests for the coming months. The aim is to continue to work closely together within the framework of the "5G Innovation Platform" in order to fine-tune the network of the future and prepare for the large-scale deployment of 5G technology in Belgium.
It was such a pleasure to be able to attend a live concert again, even if it was in virtual reality! Personally, I am convinced that this kind of digital experience will become a must in the future. Of course, digital events will never replace physical events and I look forward to seeing artists on stage for real very soon. But just like in the world of work, digitalization will add an extra dimension to the physical experience of a concert. Just think of all the fans who can’t attend a performance by their favorite artist because it’s sold out or because they’re not free on the day of the concert, for example. By experimenting with new approaches, as was the case for this Konoba show at the Ancienne Belgique, live music fans will soon have the opportunity to see their favorite concerts in virtual reality from their living room, as if they were actually in the venue.
This event would not have been possible without the collaboration of our partners: Ericsson, as part of the Core Network, Nokia, as part of the 5G network, Netbeat, streaming management partner, OPPO, smartphone partner and finally Azilpix, streaming production partner.
