The Impact of 8K Streaming on 5G Network Speeds

Streaming in 8K is the next big thing for both professional media distribution and consumer entertainment. This is because UHD video continues to improve. 8K material is four times crisper than 4K and sixteen times clearer than 1080p, with a resolution of 7680×4320 pixels. This makes it clearer and more interesting than anything else. But these benefits come with a price: you need a lot more bandwidth. 5G mobile networks, on the other hand, offer speeds in the gigabit range, very low latency, and the capacity to connect multiple devices. This makes them the optimal spot for the next generation to host video services.

This article discusses how the rise in 8K streaming traffic affects the performance of 5G networks. We’ll explore what it takes to offer 8K content, compare the speeds of 5G in theory and in practice, and explain how problems like congestion and latency affect networks. We also discuss how operators ensure that Quality of Experience (QoE) remains high.

Understanding 8K Ultra HD (UHD) Video

The 8K Ultra HD (UHD) video resolution standard has around 33.2 megapixels per frame. This is currently the highest resolution standard. Pictures look more lifelike and detailed when they have 8K frames instead of 4K frames (8.3 megapixels). An 8K frame has four times as much spatial information as a 4K frame. This is vital for enormous screens, theaters, and professional purposes like virtual reality and medical imaging.

Bandwidth Requirements for 8K Streaming

To stream 8K content, you need to consider the following:

Broadcast Quality: Streaming 8K at broadcast quality generally takes 50 to 60 Mbps per stream.
Modern Codecs (AV1/VVC – H.266): The “Power of 75” rule suggests that AV1/VVC (H.266) will save even more money. It has 48 Mbps of quality, which is the same as 6 Mbps of 1080p.
Older Codecs (H.264): If you use codecs that aren’t as good, you could require 100–125 Mbps to get the same picture quality.

You need more than simply a high bitrate for 8K streaming to work. You also need a network that works well and is stable. When there isn’t enough bandwidth, it’s easier to detect frame dips, buffering, and adaptive bitrate (ABR) oscillations, which makes the user experience worse.

Requirements for Sending 8K Content

You need to think about how to encode, package, and send out high-quality 8K feeds.

Modern Compression Codecs: HEVC, AV1, and VVC are modern compression codecs that help you get the best quality and bandwidth for your needs. Early tests reveal that AV1 can save 30–50% of the bandwidth for UHD content compared to HEVC.
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR): Changing the bitrate and resolution on the fly can help reduce jitter and packet loss. But ABR needs to be able to work with high speeds (like 50–100 Mbps) without the quality altering all of a sudden.
Edge Caching: Edge caching at crucial 5G base stations cuts down on the consumption of the core network’s backhaul, which speeds up latency and minimizes congestion during busy times.
5G Broadcast (FeMBMS): This technology can stream 8K events, like sports, to a lot of people at once. This helps with surges in demand for unicast.

Capabilities of 5G Networks

5G was created for three main sorts of use cases: ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC).

Theoretical Peak Speeds: 10 Gbps downlink for Release 15 and 20 Gbps for Release 18, 5G-Advanced.
Real-world Speeds:
- The median speed on standalone 5G networks in the U.S. in the last three months of 2024 was 388.44 Mbps. This is a 27% rise from the year before.
- The average range around the world is 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps when things are going well. This can alter based on the spectrum, carrier aggregation, and where it is used.

It seems like 8K streaming should work well based on the headline speeds, but things like cell load, signal loss (particularly at millimeter-wave frequencies), and mobility can make it function less effectively in real life.

How 5G Networks Operate Better When 8K Streaming is Used

1. High Demand for Bandwidth and Traffic Jams

8K streaming with high bitrates demands more bandwidth per user, which makes things worse, especially in busy parts of cities. When a lot of people stream UHD information at the same time in homes or public areas, it can quickly fill up the cell’s capacity. This makes packet loss more likely and slows down throughput.

2. Throughput and Quality of Service (QoS)

It’s challenging for gNodeBs and the transport network to keep streams of 50 to 100 Mbps per user going for a long time. Operators must impose QoS classes, which implies that video traffic gets precedence and that URLLC and mMTC services share resources equally.

3. What Happens When There is Buffering and Latency?

Throughput is the main focus of eMBB, although 8K streaming also has problems with jitter and latency spikes. Even a tiny change in latency can cause ABR clients to stop operating. Operators are looking into Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) as a solution to install ABR origin servers at the edge of the network. This will make things go faster and more smoothly.

Network Management Strategies

Network Slicing: Dedicated eMBB slices for high-end UHD services make sure that 8K streams have their own bandwidth and latency profiles. This keeps them from being mixed up with other forms of traffic.
Edge Computing and Caching: MEC nodes that are near gNodeBs keep 8K assets that are popular. This reduces the burden on the backhaul by as much as 40% and helps end users reach to their destinations faster.
DSS, or Dynamic Spectrum Sharing: Real-time demand for 4G and 5G spectrum makes sure that 8K streaming peaks are used in the greatest way possible.
Using AI to Make Traffic Better: Machine learning can figure out when streaming demand will rise, especially for live events. This enables you to plan ahead how to use your resources and keep traffic from getting stuck.

Real-world Deployments and Case Studies

KT Corp (South Korea): KT Corp was able to stream live 8K Ultra HD video via a 5G mmWave testbed in the Seoul Metropolitan Area because to MEC hosting and slice isolation. The average speed was 1 Gbps and the delay was less than 10 ms.
Japan (Tokyo Olympics 2020 Broadcast): NHK sent 8K feeds to approved sites over a 5G SA network using FeMBMS. This reduced the unicast burden by 65%.
Europe (5G-Vinni Project): A group of companies tested 8K streaming from start to finish utilizing 5G-Advanced prototypes. This revealed that the uplink enhancements in 5G Release 18 are particularly critical for VR telepresence and other UHD applications that require to deliver data both ways.

5G-Advanced (3GPP Release 18)

5G-Advanced (3GPP Release 18) seeks to make eMBB even better by:

Faster Speeds: The fastest speeds are 10 Gbps or more, which enables you to broadcast 8K footage from many cameras at simultaneously.
AI-controlled Beamforming: Makes greater utilization of the spectrum.
Integrated Sensing and Communication: If integrated sensing and communication could see what was going on around them, they might be able to make streaming better.

These upgrades will make it easier for the 5G network to handle the constant need for 8K content. But it’s still vital to keep buying fiber backhaul and radio equipment that doesn’t require as much power.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How fast does 5G need to be for streaming 8K video to perform well? For AV1/VVC, 48 Mbps is sufficient, and for HEVC, a continuous 50–60 Mbps per stream is usually enough.
Can 5G networks support more than one 8K stream at a time? Yes, but only when the load is low. But in regions where a lot of people are, MEC and network slicing are essential to protect things from getting too crowded.
How do codecs affect streaming 8K video over 5G? Compared to HEVC, efficient codecs like AV1 and VVC can use up to 50% less bandwidth. This directly helps with the stress on 5G’s capability.
Will 5G Advanced fix buffering problems? It will help them by speeding up peak speeds and improving the edges, but there may still be problems with the backhaul.
What does edge computing do? By caching 8K content close to end users, MEC minimizes latency and backhaul stress. This improves the quality of experience (QoE).
Can 5G let a lot of people watch 8K video at the same time? Yes, FeMBMS can broadcast the same 8K streams to a lot of people at the same time, which is fantastic for live events.
What do network operators do when there is a lot of streaming traffic? They use dynamic spectrum sharing, AI-powered traffic prediction, and dedicated eMBB slices.
Are there any real-world examples of 8K over 5G? Tests in Japan and South Korea show that 8K live streaming can happen at gigabit rates with less than 10 ms of delay.
When will mobile networks have a lot of 8K? The number of devices that can use 5G-Advanced and how soon it is pushed out will decide how widely it is used. Growth will be moderate from 2026 to 2028.
Can 8K work on outdoor 5G mmWave networks? When there isn’t much interference and you can see it well, mmWave can manage gigabit-class transmission, which is good for 8K.

To sum up, 8K streaming is a tremendous step forward for visual content, but it needs network infrastructure that can handle constant, multi-gigabit experiences. 5G networks have acceptable performance right now, but there aren’t enough cells, spectrum, or backhaul capacity to make 8K commonly used. Using network slicing, edge computing, better codecs, and AI-driven traffic management, operators can make sure that 5G can handle the high demands of 8K streaming. 5G-Advanced and 6G technologies that will come out in the future will make mobile networks even better for UHD media.

References

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