The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, now less than a year away, promises to increase the thrills of competitive sports with state-of-the-art technology. With the help of virtual reality (VR), ultra-high-definition (UHD) channels, the Internet of Things (IoT) and drones, audiences from around the world will be able to experience each sport with heightened senses.

Olympics broadcasting will take a huge leap in 2018. Moving one step beyond 4G wireless mobile technology, the events will be televised for fans everywhere using 5G channels capable of transmitting data 40 times faster than before.

These new technologies, due to transform Pyeongchang into a stage for the latest IT gadgets, were showcased for the first time at the launch of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in Barcelona on Feb. 27.

At this year's MWC, Korean companies, including Korea Telecom (KT) and Samsung, presented technologies like 5G, VR and IoT that will provide the communication channels for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Examples of some 5G technologies include "sync view," a type of broadcasting that will provide replays from the games from the point of view of the athlete. "Time slice" will give viewers the option to pause a still frame of the athlete in action and observe the movement from every angle by swiveling the screen. "Omni view," meanwhile, will allow viewers to find more information about the game at any point during the match.

In one corner of the MWC showroom, visitors were able to try out the latest VR technologies wearing headsets on moving platforms. Visitors could experience the thrill of a luge race through a VR headgear and by lying flat on a sled-like device that led them at dizzying speeds down the track. They were also able to check out some of Korea's major tourist sites from the comfort of their rotating seats.



"At the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, spectators will be able to take advantage of real-time broadcasts from the comfort of their homes," said KT CEO Hwang Chang-Gyu. "We will be able to take part in each sport from the point of view of the athletes, almost as an additional member of their favorite team. Viewers will have the option of pausing certain plays to check out the athletes' specific moves. We will provide a new model to the media paradigm."

By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: KT, Samsung Flickr
hlee10@korea.kr