On the impact of VR/AR applications on optical transport networks: First experiments with Meta Quest 3 gaming and conferencing application

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the increasing use of AR/VR applications, exemplified by Meta Quest 3 experiments, impacts optical transport networks in terms of bandwidth and latency requirements.

Contribution

It provides first experimental insights into the bandwidth and latency demands of AR/VR applications on next-generation networks.

Findings

AR/VR applications require significant bandwidth and low latency.

Experimental data from Meta Quest 3 shows varied network impacts.

Implications for optical network capacity planning.

Abstract

With the advent of next-generation AR/VR headsets, many of them with affordable prices, telecom operators have forecasted an explosive growth of traffic in their networks. Penetration of AR/VR services and applications is estimated to grow exponentially in the next few years. This work attempts to shed light on the bandwidth capacity requirements and latency of popular AR/VR applications with four different real experimental settings on the Meta Quest 3 headsets, and their potential impact on the network.