China Mobile Selects VisualOn to Build Next-Generation Video Streaming Solutions for its MIGU Video Service



The COVID-19 lockdown is accelerating the development and uptake of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Last month, Facebook debuted a first look at Facebook Horizon, a social experience where users can explore, play, and create with others in VR. With the deployment of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, a virtual community is building up where people are free to create meaningful connections.

Technavio, a global market research company, has been monitoring the AR/VR market and they project it will grow by $125.19 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 35% during the forecast period. In the short-term, IDC predicts that the consumer sector will continue to command the largest share of AR/VR spending, hitting $7 billion in 2020.

Cloud VR application in 5G era: 
VR video: High-quality VR video is very bandwidth intensive and 5G enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) can provide the necessary bandwidth. China Mobile is using this, with their MIGU service, to popularize VR video in China.
VR gaming: There are 877.3 million online gamers, based on figures from LeagueOfBetting.com. 40% of those gamers are in China. Cloud-based gaming can not only bring games to more players and platforms, but can help mitigate one of the largest barriers to VR gaming — compute requirements.
VR education: COVID-19 has driven a rapid deployment of remote learning technologies, typically through enterprise video conferencing solutions like Zoom. However, these platforms were not designed for education and, while Zoom has been adding features such as allowing teachers to remotely mute or unmute students and support for ASL interpreters, these platforms were not designed for education. VR can provide more immersive, controlled learned environments for students.
VR medical: Video is gaining importance in medical, primarily through telemedicine, education/training, and remote diagnosis. VR has the opportunity to enhance both the patient experience and the information available to medical professionals.
The primary challenges to all of these VR applications are compute and bandwidth limitations. China Mobile is using the cloud and 5G to address these issues. By the end of 2019, China had built 130K base stations to achieve coverage in more than 50 cities. Cloud VR reduces the requirements for device performance and makes the device more lightweight and effective. However, the network transmission brings the risk of screen freezes, and it’s a big challenge to have a high-reliability and low-latency network as a guarantee.
The Latest News: 
VisualOn and VLA VR partnered with China Mobile’s subsidiary MIGU Video Co., Ltd. to transform the mobile video experience using cutting-edge technologies including the VisualOn MultiStream Sync™ feature, multi-angle view, AR/VR Unity engine support, and low latency live streaming.
China Mobile is the world’s largest telecom operator, with more than 940 million customers, including over 55 million 5G customers. They are pioneering the real-world applications of VR through five key areas: live broadcasting, education, gaming, sports, and movies.
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