France’s Orange Group has teamed up with network partner Nokia and television broadcaster France Télévisions to highlight possible 5G technology use cases during the French Open tennis tournament.

Orange told SDxCentral that it has deployed two 5G base stations specially for the tournament and is making use of the 3.5 GHz test spectrum that was allocated by  French telecom regulator Arcep for 5G trials throughout the country. The 5G equipment is based on the 5G New Radio Non-Standalone (5G NR NSA) specification and also makes use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology.

One of the use cases is a mixed reality trial that is using the Magic Leap One headset to show augmented reality technology with animated projected images, which are synchronized with actual events. Visitors are able to interact with the projected images and move around the venue to choose the best viewpoint.

A further demonstration will involve the use of an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled virtual assistant – dubbed the Tournament Assistant, which will answer questions about the French Open and provide practical information including match results and the day’s schedule in written or oral form.

Sporting events certainly provide a good opportunity for operators and vendors to test 5G equipment and raise the profile of 5G services, although it remains to be seen how many spectators will actually notice the showcases or take interest in the applications that are being demonstrated.

For Orange, the French Open trial is just one of a number of pilots it is carrying out ahead of its goal to deploy 5G equipment in 17 cities this year. It has been conducting tests in Douai, Lille, Linas-Montlhéry (at a test center owned by transport test and certification group UTAC CERAM), Marseille, and Paris, while the city of Nantes has also been cited in reports as a further trial location. As things stand, Orange is targeting the launch of commercial operations in 2020.

Nokia is also just one of the vendors Orange is working with. The carrier is also working with Huawei, Ericsson, and apparently also now Samsung Technologies, to test their technologies in the lab and in the field. The carrier has previously said it is adopting a multi-vendor approach to building its networks and is looking to make a decision on its 5G network suppliers by year-end.

Orange Rivals Bouygues Telecom and Altice-owned SFR are also trialing 5G technology in the 3.5 GHz band. Bouygues Telecom has carried out trials in Bordeaux and Lille and is working with Ericsson, Huawei, and Qualcomm. SFR has conducted tests in Nantes and Paris and has been using equipment from Cisco, Huawei, and Nokia. All three operators are planning commercial launches for next year.

France’s spectrum regulator ANFR reported that it authorized 11 new 5G test sites in the 3.5 GHz band in April 2019. A total of 97 test sites have been authorized in France to date.