Telecom major Bharti Airtel recreated the 1983 cricket World Cup in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev's legendary 175 run innings, by recreating an immersive video technology through 5G.

Additionally, the telecom major administered a 5G powered hologram of the cricketer’s virtual avatar interacting with the audience in real-time from a remote location.

This administration showcased key moments from the match, which does not have an actual video footage due to the strike at the time by TV technicians.

This event was conducted at Airtel’ Network Experience Center in Manesar, Gurugram, using Ericsson 5G gear over 3,500 MHz band test spectrum allotted by the Department of Telecom.

In the words of Airtel, “using cutting-edge immersive video technologies over its high-speed 5G test network, Airtel recreated the in-stadia experience of Kapil Dev's famous 175 not-out vs Zimbabwe during the 1983 cricket World Cup”.

Airtel is optimistic about its preparation for 5G amidst the emerging digital world and is working towards building a robust pipeline of innovative use cases for India.

Commenting on the demonstration, Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel went on to say that the gigabit speeds and millisecond latency of 5G is set to transform the way entertainment is consumed.

“With today's demonstration, we have only scratched the surface of the infinite possibilities of 5G and highly personalised immersive experiences in the digital world. With 5G based holograms, we will be able to transport virtual avatars to any location, and this will be a game changer for meetings and conferences, live news, and will have so many other use cases”, says Sekhon.

Airtel exhibited the country's first 5G experience on a live 4G network earlier this year. It also showed off its rural 5G trial and the first cloud gaming experience on 5G.

Private telecom companies would be able to bring out 5G mobile services in 2022-23 thanks to spectrum auctions scheduled for 2022.

The market is preparing for the launch of 5G services, which will provide ultra-high-speed internet to the masses and usher in new services and business models. The recommendations of the telecom regulator on spectrum price and other measures are scheduled to be released soon.

In sharing his experience, Kapil Dev went on to say, “I am simply amazed by the power of 5G technology and seeing my digital avatar interact with my fans as if I am actually there”.