Revolutionizing Immersive Virtual Reality Expeditions with mmWave Technology

The extended reality (XR) industry stands as one of the seven key industries for the development of the digital economy, given its potential to lead us into the future meta-universe. With the widespread commercial use of 5G, XR businesses have reached a crucial point. According to Statista’s forecast, XR market revenue is projected to reach USD 250 billion by 2028, with the B2C segment expected to reach USD 52 billion by 2027. Additionally, by 2026, the combined shipment of head-mounted display devices in both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) categories is forecasted to more than triple, exceeding 35 million sets.

So far, "Horizon of Khufu" has emerged as a popular VR expedition, guiding viewers through a captivating journey spanning 4,500 years of global history and showcasing the true commercial potential of the VR industry. Launched in Shanghai for three months, this project has already generated over 10 million RMB in revenue, signaling the significant impact that VR expedition applications can have on large-scale commercial use.

However, there are noteworthy challenges associated with the current backpack solution. It weighs over 5 kg and the fan outlet gets heated, causing discomfort during prolonged use. This discomfort poses a barrier to the participation of the elderly and children. Additionally, the Wi-Fi has weak wireless capability, limited coverage, and fails to meet the demands of large spaces. As a result, the concurrent user capacity is hindered, leading to inefficiencies in commercial operations.  

Addressing VR Expedition Challenges with 5G mmWave X-Edge Solution

Instead of using a backpack, the solution involves cloud rendering and accessing a millimeter-wave mobile network. This not only eliminates the interference caused by multiple Wi-Fi connections but also improves mobility, allowing the elderly and children to be free from the weight of a backpack. ZTE's ultra-large-bandwidth millimeter wave device can support the industry’s largest 1.6 GHz bandwidth and a single-cell peak data rate of 28 Gbps, effectively meeting the requirements for large-capacity concurrent users in a VR theater mode with a spacious environment. This wireless network solution offers a zero-to-one approach, establishing a robust business model for this service.

In particular, the intelligent identification function on the base station side accurately identifies XR services, ensuring a differentiated service experience. Intelligent scheduling reduces delay and jitter in XR services, while capacity enhancement guarantees a smooth user experience in large-capacity scenarios. Additionally, ZTE has established the industry’s first end-to-end XR evaluation system based on digital twins, providing intelligent multi-target optimization results for network planning and optimization. The XR rendering based on computing power at base stations minimizes latency, and the terminal energy-saving solution mitigates heat generated in XR devices, improving user comfort during wear.

• Intelligent Identification: Base Station-Level Service Identification Database

The XR industry is undergoing significant growth and development, with a robust demand for XR applications across various sectors. However, the wide range of services and diverse features pose challenges in standardizing requirements for mobile networks. ZTE has a unique advantage in the industry with base station-level deep packet inspection (DPI) capabilities, enabling the identification of 16,000 types of services (apps) and offering targeted guarantees for different XR services.

• Intelligent Scheduling: Self-Learning Features of XR to Improve Efficiency

Once different XR data flows are identified, ensuring the reliability of each specific XR service becomes crucial. An intelligent scheduling policy can help to reduce waiting delays in XR services. The XR video source coding algorithm follows a quasi-periodic rule, for example, transmitting one frame of data packet every 8.33 ms for a 120 fps video. The next-generation base station (gNodeB) automatically learns the periodic features of different XR data flows and matches them with efficient scheduling policies, effectively reducing delay and jitter in XR services.

• Multi-User Anti-Congestion Scheme: User Experience Fully Guaranteed in Large-Capacity Scenarios

Video data packets typically consist of I frames and P frames. An I frame encompasses all the image information, making it considerably larger than a P frame, which only contains supplementary information. In high-capacity scenarios where I frames are indispensable, simultaneous requests for XR service from multiple users can lead to I frame collisions and immediate congestion at the base station. This, in turn, results in delayed XR services and a subpar user experience. To address this issue, the X-Edge solution employs an anti-congestion policy, strategically staggering service traffic periods to prevent congestion. The outcomes indicate a significant reduction in collision probability, specifically by a factor of 10, translating to a 10-fold decrease in the probability of video stalling.

• XR Evaluation System: Accelerating Industry Chain Growth

Built upon a differentiated guarantee for XR services, ZTE has established an end-to-end XR evaluation system. Leveraging digital twins, it has not only enhanced evaluation efficiency and accuracy but also expedited the development of the entire XR industry chain. The evaluation system covers media quality, interactive quality, and display quality. Key evaluation factors include the realism of VR audio, video, and freedom of movement, user susceptibility to dizziness, as well as the occurrence of issues like screen distortion and video stuttering during playback. Moreover, ZTE has pioneered the incorporation of digital twin technology in the industry by establishing a digital twin simulation platform. This platform serves as the industry’s first XR experience evaluation system integrating digital twin technology. The twin platform efficiently collects and processes data, analyzes service features, and iteratively optimizes evaluation algorithms, contributing to a significant enhancement in the accuracy of the evaluation system.

• Cloud Rendering and Computing Power Base Station: Creating Ultimate User Experience

The current processing capability of terminals falls short of the demands for complete immersion, and the existing network architecture fails to meet the low-latency requirements essential for robust interactive XR services. A standout feature of the X-Edge solution lies in the pioneering introduction of an industry-exclusive cloud rendering and computing power base station. This innovation facilitates precise identification of XR services, ensuring the prioritized scheduling of these services. Notably, the rendering function is shifted from the terminal to the base station, resulting in a reduction in both power consumption and terminal complexity. This strategic offloading enhances the overall efficiency and performance of XR services.

• Efficient XR Terminals: Enhanced Battery Performance

The XR terminal's energy-saving feature has a triple impact: enhancing battery life, alleviating terminal heating issues, and delivering a more comfortable user-wearing experience. For instance, consider a video frame rate of 60 fps, where the XR service transmits one frame of data packets at a 16.7 ms interval. In conventional solutions, the connected-mode discontinuous reception (C-DRX) period is typically an integer (e.g., 6/8/10/20/30), which doesn't precisely align with the XR service cycle. As data volume increases, this misalignment grows, resulting in noticeable jitter.

The X-Edge solution introduces adaptive adjustments to wake-up signals by the gNodeB based on identified period characteristics. This dynamic matching ensures that the C-DRX period aligns seamlessly with the XR service period. Simulations indicate a noteworthy 20% reduction in power consumption as a result of this intelligent adaptation, underlining the efficiency gains provided by the X-Edge solution.

Unlocking Vast VR Expedition Experiences with mmWave Technology

Through groundbreaking innovations and the support of 5G mmWave technology, VR large-space expedition applications have effectively addressed operational efficiency challenges. The seamless integration of advanced technologies has not only optimized performance but has also ushered in a new era of immersive experiences on a grand scale. These applications, evolving continuously, are set to redefine the virtual reality landscape, offering users an unparalleled cinematic journey within expansive virtual environments.

Looking ahead, the market for VR large-space expedition applications is experiencing remarkable growth, surpassing a size of 10 billion yuan. This growth underscores the increasing popularity and commercial viability of these applications. With their ability to provide captivating and realistic experiences, VR large-space expedition applications are poised to lead the way in the widespread commercial utilization of VR services.