Lars Larsson, CEO at Varnish Software details why CDNs are key to meeting consumers' expectations of 5G
By Contributor
Published: January 21, 2021
Lars Larsson, CEO at Varnish Software details why CDNs are key to meeting consumers' expectations of 5G
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Lars Larsson, CEO at Varnish Software details why CDNs are key to meeting consumers' expectations of 5G
https://www.tvbeurope.com/media-delivery/getting-close-to-the-edge title=Share via Email class=share-email>
There has long been significant hype around 5G and the possibilities it can bring to businesses and consumers, but 2020 saw that interest grow to new levels. The technology has been something the general public have been aware of for some time, however, it is the launch of new flagship handsets from consumer technology giants that is driving the latest wave of hype around 5G.
Discount the conspiracy theories linking the technology to the coronavirus pandemic, you'll see that the largest search volumes associated with 5G are related to those premium handsets. Indeed, the week of Apple's iPhone 12 launch saw a significant spike in searches for 5G, refuelling the hype-train, with promises of how 5G will improve video streaming as well as a host of other applications.
But, even if they're equipped with the latest 5G capable mobile devices, consumers won't experience real' 5G streaming for a while, as networks aren't sufficiently developed and standalone 5G is still in the works.
Currently, almost all the 5G commercial networks are non-stand-alone' (NSA), meaning they are reliant on the operator's existing 4G core infrastructure, and don't yet support the full span of 5G performance capabilities. Therefore, in reality, the biggest benefit to those that have got on-board early with 5G is its enhanced speed.
With that, video/game streaming will likely be the first area to really benefit - in a similar way to the launch of 4G - with content shops already starting to market themselves on the 5G experience they can deliver.
Delivering on demand One of the main draws of 5G networks is the ability to support many more devices simultaneously than 4G, as well as being able to offer higher bandwidth and reduced latency. Once full stand-alone (SA) 5G networks are more commonplace, this will be more noticeable, but it means that more people will be able to simultaneously stream high resolution video content.
Here, quality of experience is key. Consumers have high expectations after years of hype, so streaming providers need to ensure they are delivering experiences in line with the premium prices people have paid for the privilege of their services and the devices capable of accessing them.
For streaming services, getting the quality of experience right isn't just about the IP, it's about ensuring content loads quickly, doesn't buffer, and streams in the highest possible resolution. This is as much about the providers content delivery network (CDN) as it is the consumer's connectivity.
Popular content, such as Disney Plus's The Mandalorian, will have huge numbers of people all trying to access the latest episodes as soon as they become available on the platform. With such large numbers of people trying to stream that content at the same time, and potentially in 4K, bottlenecks at the server hosting that content can appear quickly, causing lag, buffering, or even failure to load content at all.
This has always been an issue for streaming, no matter the resolution or connectivity type, however the higher the resolution the larger the file sizes involved, and with 5G the number of devices accessing content concurrently can increase dramatically too - putting greater strain on the origin server.
To tackle this, streaming providers need to work with CDN providers. Together they are able to build systems that allow multiple cached copies of popular content to be hosted on servers closer to their users at the very edges of the network. This not only reduces the bottleneck on the origin server, by spreading the load across multiple locations, but in locating content much closer to the users, the time it takes for those servers to respond to user requests is significantly reduced too.
Placing this caching layer close to the edge of the network to reduce latency and increase the number of devices that can stream content concurrently is critical to providing the optimal quality of experience.
A new virtual reality Traditional CDNs however, will face significant pressure to keep up with 5G as it rolls out. True, real-time content distribution will necessitate the storage of significant volumes of content at the edge of the network.
A new breed of virtual content delivery networks (vCDNs), is now helping streaming providers future proof their networks and prepare to usher in an era of true 5G experiences.
Tightly integrated with the network infrastructure and utilising edge cloud data centres, rather than the more traditional data centre sites, these vCDNs make the most of the inherently different architectures of 5G networks, compared to their predecessors. This means they can more easily be built in urban areas much closer to where the user density is highest, and as such allowing providers to locate their cached content where it will have the greatest impact on backhaul and latency.
These highly elastic, cloud-native vCDNs can handle much higher densities than traditional equivalents, meaning use cases that have historically been difficult to service, such as those needed in stadiums and city centres, are now able to see sub-millisecond cache response times, with zero lag or buffering.
As 5G networks continue to roll out, the demand for streaming higher resolution content on an ever increasing numb
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
02/10/2026
v1.9.3 introduces AUv3 support
Roland have just released an update that kits their free iPad-based software synth out with AUv3 support, meaning it can now ...
02/10/2026
Dolby Atmos support, AI-powered stem separation & more
The latest version of MOTU's DAW software is now available, and marks a major step forward with t...
02/10/2026
Portable DAC created in collaboration with Steve Levine
British hi-fi experts iFi audio have unveiled a new Master Tuned variant of their praised iDSD GR2 p...
02/10/2026
In our latest blog, Tim Pearson looks at streaming piracy from a different lens, focusing on digital trust, consumer risk, and the future of subscriber protecti...
02/10/2026
Featuring performances recorded in Cork, Kilkenny, Wesmeath and Dublin culminati...
02/10/2026
Friday 2 October 2026
Crystal Lake, a Friday the 13th' prequel series, com...
02/10/2026
Friday 2 October 2026
Sky VIP helps families celebrate the Christmas season wit...
02/10/2026
How the fertility sector in Ireland remains unregulated
Undercover filming reveals how without proper regulation the promotion of controversial fertility treat...
02/10/2026
Transforming Homes, Transforming Lives
Presenter Baz Ashmawy and his team take on four life-changing builds across Kildare, Limerick, Wicklow and Offaly in the...
01/10/2026
Third collaboration with celebrated composer
Spitfire Audio have once again teamed up with Grammy-nominated composer, producer and technologist BT, creating...
01/10/2026
FL Studio gets dedicated grid controller
Novation have teamed up with FL Studio developers Image-Line to create another dedicated controller for the popular...
01/10/2026
Six new USB interfaces introduced
Universal Audio's USB audio interface line-up has just been refreshed, gaining six new models aimed at musicians, prod...
01/10/2026
Siretta's SNYPER-5G cellular network analyser has been shortlisted for the IoT Global Awards 2026.
The IoT Global Awards recognise products, services and o...
01/10/2026
Mesh Broadcast Services Fits Big-Truck Audio Power into Compact Eclipse Unit with Calrec Argo M Canadian OB company Mesh Broadcast Services has fitted its Eclip...
01/10/2026
X-Rite Pantone Launches Spectura to Advance Connected Color Quality from Lab to ...
01/10/2026
Thursday 1 October 2026
Nominees revealed for 2026 Sky Arts Awards
Current slide, 0 0, undefined1
0
Irish National Opera and Jennifer Walshe: MARS
Jacob Al...
01/10/2026
Vital TV antenna replaced at SudburyHelicopter and broadcast engineers work together to upgrade TV services for 1.5M in the East
--
Share to Linkedin
Octobe...
01/10/2026
Arqiva appoints Simon Duffy as ChairSimon Duffy joins as Chair effective 01 October 2026
--
Share to Linkedin
October 1, 2026
Press Office
01 October 2026...
01/10/2026
Season 4 of the multi-award-winning hit entertainment series The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In is back, serving up another round of unpredictable laughs, unforg...
01/10/2026
New season begins Sunday, 4 October at 6pm on RT lyric fm and RT Listen
RT lyric fm's arts and culture documentary series The Lyric Feature returns on S...
01/10/2026
RT is proud to continue its commitment to supporting and celebrating the arts across Ireland this October, highlighting a vibrant programme of theatre, music, ...
30/09/2026
Add an envelope generator to any plug-in
Sync Audio's latest creation is a handy utility plug-in that can be used to combine and modulate other effects ...
30/09/2026
All-analogue tape-style drive joins Series A
Strymon's reputation was built on their digital knowhow, so many were surprised (and intrigued) when they a...
30/09/2026
Two new expansion packs released
Sonuscore have just introduced two new expansion packs for The Pulse, its production engine instrument for modern cinematic...
30/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
30/09/2026
New Solution Expands Harmonic's Network Intelligence Portfolio and Brings Comcast-Developed Fiber Monitoring Technology to Broadband Operators, Providing Re...
30/09/2026
How to Shop Well Now starts Monday at 9.35pm
on RT One and RT Player
On the...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN, OR AT ANY ADDRESS IN, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITO...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
EQ plug-in can now be played via MIDI
Scaler Music have recently released a new and improved version of their patented musical EQ plug-in, kitting it out wi...
28/09/2026
New synth developed in collaboration with philterSoup
Boutique effects pedal and Eurorack manufacturer Animal Factory Amps have announced that the new compa...
28/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz adds an integrated multi-channel pulse analysis option to its FS...
28/09/2026
Monday 28 September 2026
Sky launches Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps for millions of homes
Sky has launched a new Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps product, rolling out from today, gi...
28/09/2026
Arvato Systems Highlights It's Role for Automotive Manufacturers and Suppliers
TISAX
Arvato Systems has successfully completed the TISAX Level 3 assess...
28/09/2026
Crimecall, presented by Carla O'Brien, returns tonight for a brand new series at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player.
In tonight's episode, alongside appe...
28/09/2026
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS AT THE HEART OF NEW IRISH WRITING
LIVE FROM POETRY IRELAND, DUBLIN AND ON RT RADIO 1 FROM 7PM
DETAILS: www.rte.ie/writing | FOLLOW: #r...
27/09/2026
New compact pedal packs in 120 effects
The latest multi-effects pedal from Boss is a compact unit that promises to give any pedalboard a massive boost in s...
26/09/2026
Launched alongside three new expansion packs
In celebration of their 30th anniversary, Native Instruments have released a major update for their Maschine 3 ...
25/09/2026
Algorithm update & new DVA vibrato-detection engine
A new flagship version of Antares' iconic pitch-correction software has arrived, and along with a co...
25/09/2026
New flagship unit to arrive in early 2027
Two notes Audio Engineering have revealed that a new and improved version of their hugely popular reactive load bo...
Lars Larsson, CEO at Varnish Software details why CDNs are key to meeting consumers' expectations of 5G 
