Japan tests live streaming 8k video… over a 5G network

GIF credit: Chris Gannon.

You thought 4G would solve buffering videos – yet that didn’t happen. But next-gen 5G networks could yield truly supersonic streaming.

Japanese telco Docomo revealed today that it tested live streaming an 8k video over a 5G network – and it worked flawlessly. It’s the first time that’s ever been done, the firm said.

5G promises as much as 10-gigabit speeds.

“In the trial, 8K video of 48 Gbps — a bit rate four times greater than 4K video and 32 times [greater] than full HD — was compressed […] and successfully transmitted without delay,” said the company in a statement this afternoon. Docomo ran the test with Nokia.

There was no word on the network speed reached.

5G promises multi-gigabit speeds once it’s available to consumers – perhaps as much as 10 gigabits, depending on how the new technology pans out. 5G may arrive as soon as 2020, say the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance.

4G networks generally top out at 40 to 50 Mbps.

“This world’s first demonstration is a clear indication of our progressive leadership in 5G,” said Glenn Booth, general manager of Nokia’s 5G division. Nokia is battling the likes of Huawei and Ericsson to demonstrate their expertise ahead of tendering bids to telco companies to make equipment for the new networks. Spending on all that 5G equipment that telcos need will reach US$400 billion globally, according to one estimate.