The value of 5G extends far beyond the enhanced mobile broadband that more than 1 billion people already have access to through upwards of 150 communication service providers around the world [1]. The time-critical communication capabilities in 5G networks will enable major breakthroughs in a wide range of application areas, including extended reality (XR).
In contrast to enhanced mobile broadband (MBB), the majority of the emerging 5G value-adding applications are time critical in nature with demanding requirements on reliable low latency. Time-critical use cases can be broken down into four categories: real-time media, remote control, industrial control and mobility automation [1, 2].
The real-time media category includes innovative extended reality (XR) applications that are of growing interest for consumers, enterprises and public institutions alike. The emergence of time-critical communications over 5G networks makes it possible to offload parts of the XR processing and functionality to the edge cloud and enhance the user experience with lightweight and cost-efficient head-mounted displays (HMDs).
