5G Low-latency Communication in Virtual Reality services: Performance Requirements and Promising Solutions

Abstract

This work explores low-latency communication enabled by the Fifth Generation of mobile networks (5G) and its integration in emerging virtual reality (VR) applications. Mobile VR is at the crossroad between mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (uRLLC) services. The current trends in wireless multimedia communication are introduced. A review of mobile VR and haptics requirements is made and end-to-end (E2E) latency components in uRLLC downlink physical layer are described. Moreover, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in short-packet downlink transmission is discussed. It is pointed out that NOMA is a promising technology for realizing massive mobile connectivity and more comprehensive research is required to better understand its suitability for VR applications.