VR and cloud gaming frenzy seizes MWC as 5G hype builds

With 5G networks rolling out, the telecom industry and its partners are trying to identify use cases that will justify the trillions of dollars they are spending on this infrastructure. MWC Barcelona 19 this week left little doubt what many believe to be the answer: virtual reality and cloud gaming. Across the sprawling showroom floors and the flood of press releases, it was hard to find anyone who wasn’t eager to talk up the potential for these overlapping services. While 5G promises to enable all sorts of disruptive uses, like smart cities and connected factories, VR and cloud gaming are increasingly seen as the most promising ways to convince consumers to pay for new services that will get them on the 5G bandwagon. By the same measure, 5G offers a shot at redemption for two technologies that have seen their own cycles of hype and disappointment as sales, technology, and experiences repeatedly failed to meet expectations. Industry insiders are betting that 5G is the missing ingredient that will allow them to finally win over consumers.“This is a key use case for 5G for telecoms to reach the residential markets,” said Javier Polo, CEO of PlayGiga, a VR and cloud gaming startup based in Madrid.