5G Made the Most Powerful Olympic Pyeongchang ever
Big companies like Samsung and Intel showcased their technology, including self-driving cars, virtual reality show stations, and super fast video streaming.
Most importantly the 5G, the wireless networking technology that mobile operators use worldwide for adoption.
Pyeongchang, a town previously known for only 44,000 people, has emerged as an important testing ground. Intel (INTC) and South Korean mobile operator KT (KT) use it as the 5G largest industry.
Smartphone users have "promised a lot of things before for 5G," said Peter Liu, an analyst with research firm Gartner based in Singapore. "We want to see how much can be achieved in a commercial environment."
Intel hopes to amaze fans with technology by offering new ways to watch Olympic athletes. It sets up a 5G station to track cross-country skiers, deploy dozens of cameras inside the ice rink, and make this first Winter Olympics to be broadcast live in virtual reality.
"We are getting closer and closer to the athletes," said Rob Topol, general manager of Intel's 5G business. "Viewers can control the time, the target, even the angle of what they see."
The frustration of watching pending live streams should also be lost.
The 5G network is still being developed, but the technology is expected to be at least 10 times faster than 4G.
Related: What is 5G?
Intel uses all the firepower for the Olympics to launch 4K and even some 8K video, which offers much higher HD quality than HD.
"This is a blueprint of what could look like 5G," Topol told CNNMoney.
But he stressed that what is available in Pyeongchang is still "an early work" of technological capabilities. The 5G signal made by Intel and KT covers a very limited area of about half a square mile.
And guests who walk into the arena will not see the internet automatically speed up their phone. To access 5G, they must use Intel tablets in a particular "audience zone".
Self-driving car
Other companies are also using the Olympics to show 5G possibilities.
Hyundai (HYMTF), South Korean car maker, lets visitors test their autonomous Nexo SUVs. The car managed to test drive all the way from Seoul to Pyeongchang, a few hours trip, earlier this month without human intervention.
The Nexo infotainment system uses 5G KT technology, which lets users control smart home devices like locks or lighting systems out of the way. Passengers can sing karaoke or stream video in the back seat if they get bored.
The SUV is the world's first self-driving electric vehicle powered by fuel cells, according to Hyundai. That means that instead of using gas, it uses electricity generated from a combination of hydrogen and oxygen.
The same energy source a number of Hyundai buses that travel between places. They are equipped with a system that monitors the facial expression of the drivers and displays a warning if drowsiness signs are detected.
"We are trying to show our technology," said a Hyundai spokesman. "This is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and the first Olympics [here] since the Seoul Olympics, so for us it means a lot."
Mission virtual reality
South Korea's largest company, Samsung (SSNLF), also uses the Olympics to flex its muscles in virtual reality.
The company says it runs simulated snowboarding and cross-country ski competitions for fans, as well as virtual reality "space missions" designed to allow guests to experience the feeling of gravity of the moon.
The next Summer Olympics will feature more advanced technology.
Intel says the demonstrations in Pyeongchang are the "backbone" for what will be showcased at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Many people still do not understand "how much 5G can do," Topol said.
But in just a few years, he imagined the free spotify premium account Olympic Village to be a "smart city," where cars can send real-time data to traffic lights, and information boards can transmit the information people searched on their phones.
"You will see many machines play an important role," Topol said. "It's not just about smartphones in your pocket anymore."
