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
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
18/09/2025
Forget just hearing a new album; last night, London lived one. Together with Spo...
18/09/2025
Spotify and Sony Music Group today announced an extension and expansion of their long-standing, successful global partnership. As part of their ongoing collabor...
18/09/2025
18 Sep 2025
VEON Inaugurates JazzCash Experience Lounge in Islamabad Dubai and Islamabad, September 18, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital opera...
18/09/2025
Created by Tom Scharpling, Matt Berry and Natasha Lyonne, the new six-part serie...
18/09/2025
The eight-part sun-drenched thriller from Luther creator Neil Cross launches on ...
18/09/2025
Rohde & Schwarz announces new frequency models up to 54 GHz for R&S ZNB3000 vect...
18/09/2025
Individual phones could be tracked back to specific residential addresses
Sm...
18/09/2025
September 18 2025, 04:20 (PDT) Dolby Atmos arrives in Maruti Suzuki Victoris, e...
17/09/2025
It was the ultimate convergence of pop culture and literary prestige: Last night, Dua Lipa brought her Service95 Book Club podcast to the stage for a special li...
17/09/2025
Transatlantic collaboration combines experience and agility to drive innovation in network design and delivery
Luxembourg, September 16, 2025 - SES, a leading ...
17/09/2025
Wednesday 17 September 2025
UK artists capture icons of stage and screen, inclu...
17/09/2025
For the Moon Safari anniversary tour, AIR opened the doors to their backstage. Just a few hours before the Paris concert, DPA met with two key figures of the te...
17/09/2025
Auditions will be held in Dublin, Cork and Galway
The County Parade returns f...
16/09/2025
Hace una d cada, la m sica latina representaba apenas el 8% de las reproducciones globales en Spotify. Hoy, constituye m s de una cuarta parte (27%) de toda la ...
16/09/2025
A decade ago, Latin music made up just 8% of global Spotify streams. Today, it a...
16/09/2025
Spotify is expanding our video lineup with a new partnership with Zoo 55, part of ITV Studios. For the first time, acclaimed content from ITV Studios is landing...
16/09/2025
Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...
16/09/2025
Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space
Luxembourg, September 15, 2025 - SES, a leading...
16/09/2025
Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer B...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...
13/09/2025
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...
12/09/2025
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...
12/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...
12/09/2025
Feature-length retrospective from Studio Crook to air in 2026
Sir David Jason returns to the nation's favourite comedy channel, U&GOLD, for Open All Hours:...
12/09/2025
Friday 12 September 2025
The Boomtown Rats, Nyah Grace, Soweto Kinch, Royal Ballet and Madness also announced to perform at the ceremony on Tuesday
Sky today ...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom BeltpackAt IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero M...
12/09/2025
Wuppertal September 12, 2025
Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interfaceRiedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface fro...
12/09/2025
CORE+ virtually removes distortion, setting a new standard for church sound and giving worship teams the clarity and confidence they need.
Read the full artic...
12/09/2025
The Late Late Show is back with a bang after the summer break, and Patrick Kielt...
12/09/2025
The World Athletics Championships, Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the Irish Champions Festival, and two Sports Direct Men...
12/09/2025
The Records Show starts Sunday at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player.
Katie Hanno...
11/09/2025
RADAR, Spotify's program for emerging talent, recently hit a major milestone...
11/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden, September 11, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability & analytics for service quality and customer experience, announced today the la...
11/09/2025
Under the USD 89.6 Million award, SES Space & Defense will provide global commer...
11/09/2025
Leading Balkan DTH provider adds capacity to consolidate its m:Sat TV platform at 23.5 degrees East and serve more customers across the region
Luxembourg, 11 S...
11/09/2025
UKTV's free streaming service U launches on Sky Q
Free streaming service U has launched on Sky Q in the UK, UKTV and Sky confirm today, expanding the footp...
11/09/2025
From the discreet 2061 lavaliers to 4099 and 4011 mics, the setup delivered clean, natural sound in one of the most challenging broadcast environments.
Read th...
11/09/2025
From rugged build quality to natural, detailed sound, the verdict is clear: big performance can come in a very small package.
Read the full review here!...
11/09/2025
Tonight on Prime Time
RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
Tonight RT Prime Time...
11/09/2025
RT Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns ...
10/09/2025
Lossless on Spotify Premium is here.
Lossless audio has been one of the most a...
10/09/2025
The Television Will Be Revolutionised Sep 10, 2025
Written by Sunit Kotecha, Director of Delivery and Operations, YouView
2025 marks a century since the f...
10/09/2025
First of Spains F110 frigates get future-ready with Rohde & Schwarz communicatio...
Lars Larsson, CEO at Varnish Software details why CDNs are key to meeting consumers' expectations of 5G 
