Airtel demos immersive VR ads powered by 5G

Bharti Airtel ("Airtel"), India's premier communications solutions provider has unveiled India’s first immersive Virtual Reality (VR) advertisement powered by 5G.

The advertisement format on the Airtel Thanks app opens new avenues for brands to engage with consumers in an immersive environment that was previously not possible in the traditional advertising paradigm.

The ultra-fast low-latency 5G network ensures the 3D visuals and videos are life-like. Through this ad format, brands can offer their customers an immersive ad that is without any lag, making it highly engaging. Airtel has roped in some of India’s leading brands such as PepsiCo and SonyLIV to create a pilot and demo the capabilities of this product at the Indian Mobile Congress.

Today, the Indian advertising industry is in a flux – India’s 750M+ mobile users are increasingly spending more time on their mobile screens, an average of ~5 hours daily according to an App Annie report. With reducing attention spans, brands are increasingly looking towards innovative mobile-first ad formats to connect with this next generation audience, capture their attention and build awareness.

Commenting on this, Adarsh Nair, CEO – Airtel Digital said, “The biggest benefit of 5G is that it allows us to do more with low-latency. We are leveraging this technology to create India’s first ever immersive VR advertisement that offers brands a direct connect to consumers in a mobile-first environment. Brands can leverage this to create engaging, immersive, and personalized experiences for their customers.”

Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 490 Mn customers in 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its networks cover over two billion people.

Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high speed 4G/4.5G mobile broadband, Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1 Gbps with convergence across linear and on-demand entertainment, streaming services spanning music and video, digital payments, and financial services.

For enterprise customers, Airtel offers a gamut of solutions that includes secure connectivity, cloud and data center services, cyber security, IoT, AdTech and cloud-based communication.