Key Findings
Canon, leveraging NTT’s IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN) for its ultra-high-speed and low-latency communication infrastructure, achieved the world’s first successful demonstration of real-time remote sports viewing. This was accomplished by integrating Canon’s volumetric video technology with its MREAL mixed reality (MR) system. The groundbreaking experiment, focused on a 2026 Asian Games basketball match, allowed for the real-time reconstruction of the event venue’s 3D spatial data remotely, offering MR device users a novel experience of freely changing their viewpoints during live spectating.
Technical Details
For the demonstration, approximately 100 cameras were deployed at the event venue to capture volumetric video data from all angles of the match. This immense volume of 3D spatial data was then transmitted to the remote viewing environment with ultra-low latency and high capacity via NTT’s IOWN APN. The IOWN APN eliminates delays and losses associated with traditional electrical signal conversions by transmitting optical signals directly end-to-end. Remote users, equipped with Canon’s MREAL MR headsets, viewed the game within the reconstructed 3D space from virtual viewpoints. This setup provided both an immersive experience akin to being present at the venue and the flexibility to re-experience the game from any preferred angle, distinguishing it significantly from conventional 2D video streaming.
Background & Context
While the digitalization of sports viewing continues, a major challenge has been replicating the live atmosphere for remote audiences. Simultaneously, while AR/VR/MR technologies are rapidly advancing, unlocking their full potential requires ultra-low latency and high capacity in data transmission. NTT’s IOWN concept aims to resolve these information and communication infrastructure challenges, with Canon’s volumetric video and MR technologies positioned as applications that create new entertainment experiences upon this foundation. This demonstration suggests the potential for broad applications of the combined technologies, not only in future sports viewing but also in areas such as remote healthcare and telework.
Strategic Significance & Outlook
This success unequivocally demonstrates that the high-capacity, low-latency optical communication infrastructure provided by IOWN APN is a powerful foundation for enabling next-generation real-time experiences using MR technology. Canon and NTT are expected to deepen this technological collaboration, pursuing innovation across various industrial sectors—beyond sports entertainment—through advanced volumetric video technology, enhanced MR systems, and further development of the IOWN APN. Particularly as XR technologies gain mainstream adoption, real-time, high-fidelity spatial information sharing like this will foster new business models and serve as a crucial milestone towards the realization of Society 5.0 globally.
Source: https://global.canon/en/news/2026/20260925.html
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