Taqtile, Timberline Communications, T-Mobile US developed and use augmented reality for field technicians working on the carrier’s 5G network infrastructure
In a morning keynote presentation at the Wireless Infrastructure Associations Connect X event, T-Mobile US Vice President of Technology Neville Ray provided an overview of the carrier’s 5G network, and further dug into the work it’s doing to develop 5G-enabled technology applications, particularly augmented and virtual reality.
In his recorded talk, Ray called out T-Mo’s standalone 5G network, deployed nationwide using its 600 MHz spectrum, saying SA 5G is “the future of wireless.” He said applications like connected vehicles, industrial robotics, mixed reality, and “supercharged IoT…can all be built on this foundation. It gives us a massive opportunity to work with partners on developing advanced 5G services.”
In its efforts to develop 5G-based enterprise services, T-Mobile US has partnered up, including on video-streaming drones, with Sarcos Robotics on industrial robots, and with Fisk University. That last project, referenced by Ray at Connect X, involves pre-med and biology students using a 5G-enabled headset to study human cadavers.
In terms of learning by doing, T-Mobile US is also working with Taqtile and Timberline Communications Inc., giving Timberline’s field techs headsets that can support instructional AR-overlays and other relevant content, and remote support from experts. The techs, in turn, use the headsets, connected to T-Mobile’s 5G network, to perform maintenance and other work on T-Mobile’s 5G network.
“AR and VR applications are going to transform virtually every industry,” according to Senior Director of Network Technology Erin Raney. “We are so excited to see how T-Mobile’s 5G network with that low latency and high bandwidth is going to fuel these great innovations.”
