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Content Delivery and Streaming

Better streaming services, end to end

Media services may need more from networks than a bit pipe: insight into what viewers experience, help when the network can give it, delivery at scale, and a way to bring content in and keep it protected.

Each showcase below starts from that problem, follows with the technology that supports a solution and what you can build with Reference Tools.

Projects in this area

5G Media Streaming (5GMS)UE Data Collection, Reporting and Event ExposureVideo Operation PointsDVB-I Services over 5G SystemsContent Delivery Protocols

What you can build​

QoE and audience analytics​

Available

The Media Player Is the Best Sensor of User Experience

Packet and server observations alone cannot fully reconstruct the player’s current experience. Players report QoE metrics and their consumption, and add CMCD key–value pairs, such as buffer state, playback rate and throughput estimate, to ordinary HTTP media requests.

FeaturesQoE metrics reporting partialConsumption reporting partialIn-band client data reporting (CMCD) partial

CDN and edge delivery​

Available

Content Hosting

Downlink media streaming with pull- and push-based content ingest: a service equivalent to a CDN, deployed inside or outside the mobile network, while the application keeps standard HTTP adaptive-streaming formats.

FeaturesContent hosting (no content preparation, edge resources, geo-fencing or URL signing) partial

Network-assisted streaming​

Early stage

Network Assistance and Dynamic Policies

AF-based and ANBR-based assistance towards the client and the RAN, such as a short delivery boost when the buffer runs low; policy templates instantiated and provisioned through the PCF, one per quality tier (SD, HD, UHD).

FeaturesNetwork assistance: delivery boost partialNetwork assistance: bit rate recommendation not implementedDynamic policies (5-tuple only) partial

Not yet possible​

What could be built next in this area. Each needs a feature that the Reference Tools do not implement yet, or that is still being specified.

QoE and audience analytics

  • Client Metadata: From CMCD to Actionable Delivery InsightNeeds: CMCD version 2 (Release 20, in progress)In the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • Data collection, reporting and exposure frameworkNeeds: Data collection, reporting and exposureIn the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • Measure Latency Against a Common ReferenceNeeds: Latency measurement and control (Release 20, in progress)In the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • Energy Information as an Additional Optimisation InputNeeds: a feature still to be identified

CDN and edge delivery

  • Media Delivery from Multiple Service EndpointsNeeds: Multiple service locations: Content Steering, CMMFIn the Reference Tools: early stage
  • Edge processingNeeds: Edge processingIn the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • Distributing Encrypted and High-Value ContentNeeds: Content preparation with DRMIn the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • Service URLs and deep linksNeeds: Service URL handlingIn the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • One Media Service over Multiple Access NetworksNeeds: Multi-access media delivery (Release 20, in progress)In the Reference Tools: not implemented

Network-assisted streaming

  • Improved QoS Support for Media Streaming: ECN and L4SNeeds: Dynamic policies: ECN marking for L4SIn the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • QoS monitoring during a media streaming sessionNeeds: Dynamic policies: QoS monitoringIn the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • Background data transfer in off-peak windowsNeeds: Dynamic policies: Background Data TransferIn the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • Slice awarenessNeeds: Dynamic policies per Network SliceIn the Reference Tools: not implemented
  • The Player Should Not Have to Rediscover a Known LimitNeeds: In-band signalling of rate limits (Release 20, in progress)In the Reference Tools: not implemented

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