A new VR study by Juniper Research estimates that standalone VR headsets and those tethered to smartphones will be consuming 650% more data over the next four years, hitting 21,000 PetaByts in 2021.
Virtual reality requires exceptionally high degrees of bandwidth to deliver an optimal user experience. Juniper predicts that the data requirements of VR will become greater than those of 4K as the technology becomes more popular.
As the industry grows, Juniper warns that a great deal of strain will be put on networks and recommends that operators focus attention now on bringing their services up to a standard that can efficiently deliver VR content.
The report also highlights how developers are attempting to make VR more socially interactive, with Facebook and WeChat currently working on their own VR platforms. Social multiplayer elements are also finding their way into several VR games, such as Star Trek: Bridge Crew.
