NEC enables live video transmission test with 5G conducted by NTT DOCOMO, TOBU RAILWAY

NEC Corporation has contributed to a video transmission test utilizing 5G conducted in November 2018 by NTT DOCOMO, INC. and TOBU RAILWAY CO., LTD. through the provision of 5G base stations (*) that support 4.5GHz and 28GHz bands.

In recent years, the demand for high-definition video is constantly on the rise. This demonstration was conducted with a view toward application of 5G in the field of entertainment, including sports and tourism content.

Specifically, 8K ultra-high-definition live video featuring a Steam Locomotive (SL) train was transmitted from a 5G base station installed along a railroad to a 5G mobile station located inside a running SL train and put on an 8K display.

Moreover, high-definition 4K video content, which had been taped beforehand, was transmitted from the 5G base station to the 5G mobile station on the SL train and distributed to the mobile terminals of passengers on the train via wireless LAN. This demonstrated that the utilization of 5G enables the transmission of high-presence and high-definition video content, even on a train or a bus in motion, providing a service that allows the distribution of large-capacity content in a variety of media, regardless of the location or situation.

The NEC 5G base station was equipped with a Massive MIMO antenna, which forms beams (directivity) that concentrate power on the location and direction of the 5G mobile station. Since the antenna always forms optimal beams for a mobile station by making the beams track the mobile station in motion, it is capable of realizing a high-data transmission rate and high-quality wireless data communication, even for a mobile station installed inside a moving train, as in this demonstration.

Moving forward, NEC will continue to work on 5G verification throughout a wide range of use cases, including applications in tourism, healthcare and security, under various conditions and environments, such as urban and rural areas.

This experiment is part of a trial conducted by NTT DOCOMO under a project commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) to examine the technical specifications for fifth generation mobile communication systems that can realize average data communication speeds of 4-8 Gbps in outdoor environments within FY2018, ending in March 2019.

The 5G base station and the mobile station equipped with the Massive MIMO antenna that support the 4.5GHz band feature enhancements based on results from "The research and development project for realization of the fifth-generation mobile communications system"commissioned by The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan.