Mobile edge video delivery demonstrated by Nokia and StarHub

Nokia Networks has enabled live video streaming based on an LTE base station-enabled local content caching system. In partnership with Singaporean operator StarHub, Nokia helped to deliver a live streaming, multi-camera broadcast of the WTA tennis championships live from Singapore.

The Liquid Applications solution by Nokia was installed at local 4G mobile base stations within the Indoor Stadium at Singapore Sports Hub, which enabled StarHub to deliver content faster by caching and routing it via the mobile edge.

Latency is minimised by removing the necessity for content to be delivered from the data centre via the mobile core and backhaul parts of the network. Ultimately, data can be consumed by users faster and easier, with less stress on the network.

“We are excited over the potential in moving digital content to the farthest edge of our mobile network – the base stations,” said Mock Pak Lum, CTO of StarHub. “This localised mobile content delivery significantly reduces lag and boosts surfing quality, offering our subscribers the best mobile broadband experience.”

Nokia claims that Liquid Apps also enables operators to deliver services, such as augmented reality, which previously had too many latency requirements the network was unable to fulfil through the core. Instead, by storing content at the mobile edge, innovative services can now be realised.

“In addition to boosting network performance, our Liquid Applications is capable of delivering innovative, localised and personalised mobile broadband services to subscribers,” said John Lancaster-Lennox, Head of Asia South at Nokia Networks. “With this trial, StarHub has leveraged the unique capabilities of our solution for delivering the best-in-class service experience.”

The news follows last week’s announcement of the new ETSI working group focussed on Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), an open initiative taken to facilitate content caching and delivery via base stations at the mobile edge. Nokia Networks, Vodafone, IBM, Intel, NTT DoCoMo and Huawei are all confirmed to be supporting the group, and Nokia’s Liquid Apps solutions is one of the early contributed platforms for open development.