Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Monday showcased the possibilities of 5G era, as it harnessed immersive video technology using the next generation network, to recreate in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev's legendary 175-run inning from the 1983 cricket World Cup.
Airtel also demonstrated a live 5G-powered hologram as the legendary cricketer's virtual avatar interacted with the audience in real-time from a remote location.
"Using cutting-edge immersive video technologies over its high-speed 5G test network, Airtel recreated the in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev's famous 175 not-out vs Zimbabwe during the 1983 cricket World Cup," Airtel said in a release.
The demo brought to life key moments from the match which had no actual video footage due to a strike at that time by TV technicians.
With over 1 Gbps of internet speed, more than 50 concurrent users had a highly personalised 4K video experience of the match on 5G smartphones with real-time access to multiple camera angles, 360-degree in-stadia view, shot analysis and statistics.
Airtel carried out the demonstration at its Network Experience Center in Manesar (Gurugram) using Ericsson 5G gear over 3,500 MHz band test spectrum allotted by the Department of Telecom.
During the demo, a 5G-powered virtual avatar of Kapil Dev appeared on the stage and interacted with the audience and walked them through the key moments of his inning.
Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel, said that gigabit speeds and millisecond latency of 5G is set to transform the way entertainment is consumed.