KT, the official telecom operator for the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, on Monday demonstrated hologram and 360-degree virtual reality video services that would be running on its fifth-generation network technology.

Its 360-degree VR will offer real-time multichannel content, allowing viewers around the world to see games from any angle they want at home.

The “Sync View” technology features a tiny camera on a wireless network module that will be attached to individual athletes and live stream ultrahigh-definition video using a 5G antenna.

Hologram interviews of players are also planned right after key games, and drones will be used for security control around the Olympics venues. 

The company said all the services will be running on its 5G technology, which would boast nearly 1,000 times faster speeds compared to those offered on the current fourth-generation LTE network.

Related infrastructure, including the first-ever cloud-based data center and three control towers, built around the Olympics venues would be more than double those of the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia, it added.

The company hopes its planned testing of 5G during the Winter Games paves the way for it to commercialize the technology earlier than its rivals around the world.

With global telecom carriers jumping on the 5G bandwagon for its commercialization by 2020, KT said it would take an early edge by ramping up efforts to its technological standardization.

“Considering the key to 5G technology is its standardization on network building and partnership with global vendors, KT will become the first to realize the next-generation network technology,” said Oh Seong-mock, senior vice president.

Competition among top three Korean telecom operators -- KT, SK Telecom and LG Uplus -- is heating up to grab the “world’s first” title. They believe their leadership in 5G will show off their technological prowess and attract more customers in the saturated mobile market.

SK Telecom plans to showcase its 5G technology, including the demonstration of the 20 gigabytes per second speed, at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona next week.

LG Uplus, which has joined hands with global equipment makers such as Nokia and Huawei, aims to unveil its 5G technology in April. 

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)