HTC views consumer 5G VR apps as long-term play

INTERVIEW: HTC China president Alvin Wang Graylin argued multi-access edge computing (MEC) will be essential for delivering true cloud computing for VR applications running on 5G networks, explaining such services remain a long way off for the consumer sector.

In the near-term, he believes cloud-based VR could become a reality in private-networks for sports stadia or business campuses, but noted delays in deploying 5G caused by Covid-19 (coronavirus) means the impact expected from VR and XR might “be delayed quite a bit”.

He noted while new 5G services may be boosting operators’ data traffic, this is not necessarily translating into additional revenue.

“What we would like to see is that by deploying MEC- and SAS-based services, operators are able to generate a new revenue stream because they can actually sell collaboration software, virtual events, virtual concerts or cloud rendered gaming.”

The HTC executive believes more communication is required between device manufacturers, content and solution providers, and operators to understand the network requirements of new 5G services.