TOKYO, September 18, 2019—Canon Inc. announced today that the company is proceeding with the development of technology that realizes high-speed image transfer of photos using cameras and an application through 5G (fifth-generation wireless network technology), which benefits from high-speed transfers of large volumes of data with little latency. As an official sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, Canon will conduct tests of press photo transfers using 5G at the tournament.
Flowchart of the 5G image transfer workflow tests
In cooperation with tournament supplier NTT Docomo Inc., Canon will conducts tests at multiple matches, including testing press photo transfers using 5G at the Japan v Russia Rugby World Cup opening match taking place on September 20 at Tokyo Stadium in Chofu, Tokyo. Using Canon cameras, lenses and an application currently in development, professional photographers shooting at the stadium will upload large volumes of image data at high speeds to such locations as photo collection servers and the cloud over 5G.
The tests will be conducted with the cooperation of over ten press organizations from both Japan and overseas. Applying the strengths of 5G—namely, the ability to transfer large volumes of data at high speeds with little latency—to the workflows of the professional photographers capturing the tournament's decisive moments will yield such advantages as journalists spending less time choosing which data to send back to their headquarters from the sidelines and enabling direct uploading of photos to company servers. By integrating 5G into photographer workflows, press organizations are aiming to realize high-level newsgathering that is both timely and flexible.
The tests are scheduled to take place at multiples matches, including those listed in the table below and at the tournament final.
| Date and time (JST) | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 20 (Fri) 19:45 ~ | Japan v Russia | Tokyo Stadium |
| Sept. 28 (Sat) 16:15 ~ | Japan v Ireland | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa |
| Oct. 5 (Sat) 19:30 ~ | Japan v Samoa | City of Toyota Stadium |
| Oct. 12 (Sat) 17:15 ~ | England v France | International Stadium Yokohama |
| Oct. 13 (Sun) 19:45 ~ | Japan v Scotland | International Stadium Yokohama |
