WILMINGTON, DE — The rise of immersive and extended reality (XR) content is set to disrupt current wireless infrastructure, necessitating major innovation to meet growing consumer demands. A newly released report by InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC) and Futuresource Consulting highlights the pressing need for network advancements as video and XR consumption accelerates globally.
The report, titled “Media over Wireless: Networks for Ubiquitous Video,” outlines escalating trends in consumer behavior. By 2024, video accounted for 69% of all internet data traffic, dwarfing social media (13%) and gaming (10%). On smartphones, 74% of data consumption came from video, fueled by social media videos, streaming services, and embedded content.
Despite growing demand, current networks are beginning to show strain. According to the report, 40% of consumers expressed dissatisfaction with network performance. These frustrations are expected to deepen as XR device shipments quadruple by 2031 to reach 83 million units.
“The high demand for more immersive entertainment cannot be ignored. As XR devices become more accessible, we’ll move from simply watching video to stepping inside it—and future wireless systems need to be prepared for this staggering change,” said Milind Kulkarni, Head of Wireless Labs at InterDigital.
XR’s growth trajectory is staggering. By 2037, 130 million 6G-enabled XR devices are projected to be in use, making XR one of the largest drivers of next-generation network capabilities. Futuresource expects XR to become the second major hardware category after smartphones to integrate 6G features by 2030, heralding new immersive applications such as city tours, real-time augmented guides, and digital twins.
“XR is a stress test for wireless networks, where the throughput and latency demands make it the defining use case for 6G and next-gen video codecs,” Kulkarni emphasized.
Advancements in 5G-Advanced and the roll-out of 6G architectures will be vital in overcoming these challenges. The report predicts that 6G deployment will occur in tandem with the maturation of XR ecosystems, expected between 2028 and 2032.
“The XR market is entering a pivotal phase, where immersive content is no longer a niche. As we get closer to 2030 and the release of the first 6G standards, XR entertainment is going to become an expectation, where we will see interactive digital sports venues to real-time augmented city guides and digital twins,” said Lionel Oisel, Head of Video Labs at InterDigital.
The report presents an urgent call to action, showing that the evolution of wireless networks is essential to unlocking the full potential of XR. By addressing challenges such as latency and throughput, the next generation of wireless technology will transform immersive content from an emerging trend to a global standard of entertainment.
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