MONTREAL – Bell Canada, Verizon, Vodafone and virtual reality app maker Matsuko recently conducted the first live transatlantic collaborative meeting connecting holograms of people in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. using 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) technology, Bell announced Monday.
The three telecoms came together under the auspices of the 5G Future Forum (5GFF) industry body for this first-of-its-kind demonstration, which saw holograms of employees located in three different countries connected from Toronto using Bell’s 5G network, from New York using Verizon’s 5G network and from London using Vodafone’s 5G network.
The employee holograms were created using Matsuko’s real-time software and a single camera “and were then streamed thanks to spatial computing, an immersive technology which combines virtual and augmented reality,” a Bell press release explains.
“Matsuko’s patented technology uses its (holographic) presence app on a smartphone coupled with a XR (Extended Reality) headset to stream holograms instantly, creating the feeling that people are in the same room as you,” the release adds.
Interacting with holograms of people, rather than avatars, can provide a more personal experience for many applications such as remote healthcare, collaborative working and education, according to the release.
The holographic collaborative meeting between Bell, Verizon and Vodafone “was enabled by the speed of 5G combined with the quick response times of MEC, which moves the necessary computing closer to the edge of the network. This ensures a more reliable and consistent hologram by removing delays resulting from multiple hops between different locations and across the internet,” the release explains.
Matsuko was able to connect to the three telecoms’ 5G networks by using the 5GFF’s Edge Discovery API (application programmable interface), which allows developers and independent software vendors (ISVs) like Matsuko “to discover the nearest edge to their end users, so their applications perform optimally with a consistent service across mobile networks.”
The 5GFF is inviting ISVs globally, who are currently using 5G MEC or plan to in the future, to apply to join the organization’s acceleration program and work closely with leading telecom companies to shape the API development process. The program is designed to expand and interconnect the global MEC ecosystem by partnering and engaging with developers. More information can be found here.
In addition to Bell, Verizon and Vodafone, the 5GFF’s members include Rogers, América Móvil, KT Corp. and Telstra.
“Through its active participation in the 5GFF, Bell continues to support the developer community to access 5G MEC technologies and to ensure their solutions take full advantage of Bell’s 5G network in Canada, and to interoperate globally,” said Costa Pantazopoulos, Bell vice-president of product, in the release. “This holographic video meeting demo illustrates how Bell — with partners Verizon and Vodafone — is making it easier for developers to leverage 5G capabilities to innovate and achieve their application goals.”
Image provided by Bell Canada.
