Video has become a major way for people to obtain and share information and has been a boom to carriers' business development. It is estimated that by 2020, 85% of data consumption will be contributed by video. Video will become a basic service and a blue ocean market to carriers. With maturing video technologies and improving platform capabilities, video experience is shifting from SD to HD to 4K. In the future, 4K and 2K videos will become mainstream videos on TVs and smartphones respectively.
The successful 4K live broadcast to over 1.2 million 4K users, the first of its kind in the world, is an unprecedentedly grand occasion. During the entire live broadcast, Sichuan Telecom adopted the advanced 4K H.265 decoding technology to ensure video quality and efficiency, delivering a life-like watching experience to viewers. Watching 4K ultra-HD video requires bandwidth of at least 50 Mbps. Multiple screens in different rooms will pose an even bigger challenge to network performance. Carriers must have powerful networks of wide coverage and high speed and throughput. Sichuan Telecom reconstructed its copper-cable bearer networks into full optical networks so that they can support stable and smooth video transmission, meet the concurrent needs of 1.2 million viewers, and offer an immersive 4K live experience.
As video shifts from SD to HD to ultra-HD, Sichuan Telecom seized opportunities to collaborate with industry chain partners to create ultra-HD video experience. Statistics show that Sichuan Telecom boasts the highest number of net increase IPTV and broadband users in China. The carrier will acquire 8 million IPTV users by the end of 2015, of which over 2 million are 4K users – a remarkable achievement. Sichuan Telecom has been the pioneer and leader in the 4K ultra-HD video field thanks to the rapid growth of its 4K subscribers as a result of its mature E2E solutions, advanced network architecture and basic capabilities, and high-performance terminals.
As one of Sichuan Telecom's strategic partners, Huawei collaborates with the operator in various areas, including platform providing, basic network construction, 4K device development, and service experience design.
Sichuan Telecom adheres to the principle of network enhancement before service deployment. It first partnered with Huawei in 2012 to optimize its network architecture, accelerate network speeds, and increase network throughput. Measures included de-layering to improve network efficiency, accelerating the network backbone and MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) to achieve 100G optical transmission and 400G IP bearing capabilities, and reconstructing the end access system to realize full optical access and the ultimate coverage goal of "20 Mbps at least, widespread 100 Mbps, and leading 1 Gbps coverage". Sichuan Telecom also deployed an engineer-to-engineer network quality detection system for visual management on video services to ensure high-quality 4K signals.
Compared with traditional SD and HD live broadcast, 4K live broadcast places higher requirements on platforms, the decoding capabilities of STBs and the chip processing capabilities. Huawei adopted the H.265 video coding standard for a better user experience, and deployed leading technologies to optimize the code stream, coding quality, delay, and algorithm complexity. IPTV and OTT platforms were integrated to achieve intelligent acceleration, distribution, and scheduling, and to protect 4K services. Sichuan Telecom and Huawei have also jointly launched the 4K ultra-HD smart STB, making Sichuan Telecom the first operator in the world to carry video services on 4K STBs.
Fu Qiang, Sichuan Telecom's Deputy General Manager, said: "We are very happy with the successful broadcast. This end-to-end live broadcast tested our systems from the signal source to the broadcasting system. Our whole industry chain has passed this strict technical test. I believe the live broadcast is a sign that the 4K industry has entered a relatively mature and stable phase of development."
Zheng Chunhua, President of Huawei's Carrier Marketing Dept added: "As Sichuan Telecom's strategic partner, Huawei is honored to have contributed to this historic 4K live broadcast. Huawei's video solution can guarantee video quality for 4K live broadcasts. Huawei is capable of launching ultra-HD solutions that can deliver an optimal 4K video experience to consumers around the world."
