Is streaming live, low-latency video over 5G networks the promised land for security? Steve Haworth, Vemotion CEO, recently discussed the challenges of moving from 4G with PSi
From security and video surveillance to media broadcasting and smart cities, in recent years, the demand for live video streaming has seen a massive take-up. One of the key enablers of this trend is the shift from 4G to 5G. Promising faster speeds, lower latency, and higher capacity, despite the significant advancements of 5G, it’s important to know that challenges remain, and there are potential pitfalls that still exist with the latest mobile network technology – particularly in maintaining the quality of low-latency video streaming.
The evolution from 4G to 5G
4G networks brought a revolution to mobile video streaming, enabling smoother, higher-quality video experiences over the air. However, despite 4G’s benefits, it struggled with high latency, limiting real-time security surveillance applications, especially where camera control was required for functionality, such as pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ).
In addition, streaming higher-quality video, such as Full HD or 4K was constrained by the bandwidth 4G could offer, especially in high user, densely populated areas.
Network congestion
As more devices connect to the same 4G network, video quality can degrade significantly during peak times. This can cause issues within cities, close to sports and entertainment venues, and transport hubs.
Representing the next big leap in technology, 5G brings theoretical speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, so it’s much faster than 4G and latency can be reduced to 1 millisecond, offering the potential for real-time, live-streamed video with almost no delay. However, whilst theoretical speeds are “quoted”, it’s important to note that initial roll outs are likely to be much slower. Highlighting this, the Mobile Matters 2024 report from OFCOM stated that ‘5G services in the UK provided less than 2Mb upload speeds for 19% of the time and only provided over 20Mb/s for 29% of the time.’ As a rule, you should target 4Mb for FHD video and twice that for 4K.
What are the key improvements of 5G over 4G?
A dramatic reduction in latency ensures quicker transmission of video data, crucial for real-time applications, such as live event coverage and law enforcement.
5G can handle significantly more data than 4G, supporting the higher demands of 4K and 8K video streaming without buffering or reduced quality. It can also allow many more devices to connect to the network at the same time, meaning you can theoretically stream high-quality video even in crowded areas, like concerts or sporting events.
Read the full article in the January 2025 edition of PSi magazine
