VR is on the Edge: How to Deliver 360° Videos in Mobile Networks

VR/AR is rapidly progressing towards enterprise and end customers with the promise of bringing immersive experience to numerous applications. Soon it will target smartphones from the cloud and 360° video delivery will need unprecedented requirements for ultra-low latency and ultra-high throughput to mobile networks. Latest developments in NFV and Mobile Edge Computing reveal already the potential to enable VR streaming in cellular networks and to pave the way towards 5G and next stages in VR technology. In this paper we present a Field Of View (FOV) rendering solution at the edge of a mobile network, designed to optimize the bandwidth and latency required by VR 360° video streaming. Preliminary test results show the immediate benefits in bandwidth saving this approach can provide and generate new directions for VR/AR network research.