NTT Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), just pulled off a successful trial. They showed off real-time karaoke duets with zero lag! The greenlight trial conducted on December 14, 2024 in Tokyo, where cutting-edge technology came to the test. This partnership with Xing, the maker of Japan’s popular Joysound karaoke service, was designed to showcase innovations in digital communication.
In the course of the experiment, singers sang duets on karaoke machines located about three kilometers away from one another. The remoteness posed significant challenges for all favorably communication technologies. Thanks to NTT’s Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN), performers were able to seamlessly interact with one another. These amazing results unveiled an all-new future of real-time entertainment experiences that would be able to travel across cities and geographical borders.
Members of the locally popular idol group Aicong joined in on this unusual event, lending more star power to the proceedings. Their participation really helped to raise the stakes and the drama of the trial. Most importantly, it made possible a real-world testbed for NTT’s world-leading connectivity and smart city technologies. A snapshot of this historic moment by Rurika Tanaka sealed the legacy of this monumental event.
Following the successful test, NTT Communications made an announcement on December 17, 2024, at 05:30 JST. The announcement was a testament that IOWN technology truly makes it possible to seamlessly deliver delay-free performances. This innovation opens the door for new levels of interactivity in storytelling and live performance and among our telecommunications.