Takuma Sato became the first Japanese winner of the Indianapolis 500 on Monday. On the same track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the previous week, there had been another uncommon sight with a driver operating a vehicle while wearing a pair of VR glasses while his windshield was blacked out.
Ericsson and Verizon demonstrated how a 5G network was capable of delivering high multi-gigabit bandwith and low latency with this test inside a moving car. The connectivity that came with 5G radios set up around the track and a 5G device inside the car succeeded in enabling the driver to go over 60 miles per hour as he surveyed the road ahead with the VR glasses.
Laughing as he was able to maneuver the vehicle safely on a race track while a mounted camera on the hood of the car provided the live VR and 4K 360-degree video feed to the glasses, the driver said, “This is so weird.”
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5G uses beam tracking, which beams information at a specific user even if the user is moving at highway speed. The processing technology and advanced radio was provided by Ericsson. Broadband speeds of over 6.4 Gb/second were reached during the test.
With speeds up to 100 times faster than existing networks, everyone from Verizon IndyCar Series drivers to pit crews to fans can see the experience change with 5G. Streaming live data from sensors from cars and drivers can allow fans to virtually take the driver’s seat. Race teams can also get the real-time performance data faster.
“It’s exciting to have them test their new 5G wireless service during the Indianapolis 500,” Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet in the Verizon IndyCar Series, said in a statement. “Indianapolis is the birthplace of speed and innovation for INDYCAR racing, making it a fitting place to experience the increased speed of 5G technology on the eve of the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.”
The demo came at a time when a 5G future isn’t far away. Verizon this year is set to deliver 5G pre-commercial services to select pilot customers in markets throughout the country on its network.
Per Narvinger, Head of Product Area Network Systems, Ericsson, said in a statement: “Ericsson is working with Verizon to push the 5G envelope and bring 5G to market with commercially ready networks. 5G will enable new use cases for people and businesses, which will make our world safer, more efficient and more environmentally sustainable.”