Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1335241
FEBRUARY 2021 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 95 ages, the healthcare industry and autono- mous mobility; his descriptions, explanations and testimonials came from leading person- alities in each area. He accentuated the abil- ity of 5G to connect people to their passion, to bridge the digital divide, and to fundamen- tally alter the way businesses and communi- ties function. Focusing on entertainment, he acknowl- edged the damage inflicted upon the indus- try by the pandemic but declared, "e show can go on, even in the absence of the live audi- ence." As a music fan, he recalled the days when you had to be a VIP to see a great act up-close with nothing in the way. Now, thanks to 5G ultra-wideband, that experience was available to everyone. He welcomed to his virtual plat- form digital twins of Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada from Grammy-nominated soul band the Black Pumas to demonstrate how, by com- bining multiple camera angles and augmented reality with the capacity and speed of the 5G system, the effect of watching their perfor- mance on-screen was to bring their show so close to real life that it was the next-best thing to being on the stage with them. "It just gets better," he declared again. Fieen iconic live music venues had already been equipped to provide this experience. Vestberg concluded by philosophically asserting that, although 5G opened up all kinds of new possibilities, in the end the network was about something timeless: the human need to connect, to reach out, to share stories and to hear the stories of others. 5G is an incredible technology, and what he had just shared barely scratched the surface of current and future realities. But the legacy of 5G depends 100% on the people who use it. His own aspiration is that it will be used for good: learning, shar- ing, growing, preserving and protecting, com- munity-building and finding ways to reap the greatest outcome for everyone in our society. "In the end, it's up to you." He le it to the Black Pumas to play-out the session with a nicely edited demonstration of how to feel directly involved in their life-like virtual performance of good soul music. SMT007 Virtual entertainment provided by Black Pumas, the Grammy-nominated soul band.