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 addresses the challenge of provisioning telecom networks for AR/VR by performing four real-world experiments on Meta Quest 3 to characterize traffic and latency across diverse AR/VR use cases. The authors measure end-to-end bandwidth and latency for onboard gaming, cloud-delivered gaming, 360° video streaming, and teleconferencing, revealing traffic ranges from a few hundred kbps to over 150 Mbps depending on scenario and topology. Findings show that AR/VR traffic can resemble high‑resolution video in volume and requires both substantial bandwidth and ultra-low latency, particularly for interactive and immersive experiences. The work offers actionable insights for operators on capacity planning, edge computing deployment, and network design to support upcoming Metaverse traffic demands.

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.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: Overview of all deployed scenarios
• Figure 2: Screenshot, bitrate and latency measured in all scenarios