The new 5G AR features and experiences will be developed at Verizon’s 5G Labs
Verizon and Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, are now working together on 5G AR features and marketing. According to Snap Chief Strategy Officer Jared Grusd, 5G is “fueling the future of augmented reality,” and the two companies hope to use the next generation of cellular technology to allow users and advertisers to overlay digital objects on top of the real world while using the Snapchat application.
The pair will develop these new augmented-reality features and experiences at Verizon’s 5G Labs. These new experiences will include live sports, concerts and other events.
While Snapchat already offers a few augmented reality features on its app, such as its “Landmarker Lenses,” which enables location-based AR experiences in real-time, or its “Portal Lenses,” which let users enter a “portal” that then becomes a different digital experience, the partnership aims to make such experiences more numerous and widespread.
In addition to enhancing user experiences, Snapchat views AR as a significant money maker for the company by transforming digital ads. Snap’s CEO Evan Spiegel called AR “natural growth opportunity” for Snap, adding that despite being a relatively new technology, “it provides real utility for our community and real results for our advertisers.”
For Verizon’s part, the carrier will preload the Snapchat application on select 5G phones and provide exclusive offers to customers through programs like the VerizonUp rewards program, as well as place premium sponsorship content in Snap Originals video series.
Snap Chief Business Officer Jeremi Gorman stated, “While early, the broad adoption of AR will lead advertisers to grow their investment in our platform as we continue to create engaging new experiences for Snapchatters.”
Snap may be on to something. In a Texas Wireless Summit pre-show interview, Edison Thomaz, assistant professor at University of Texas Department of Electrical Engineering and one of the co-chairs of the 2019 Summit, told RCR Wireless News that while excitement around augmented reality has been brewing for years, he believes that the technology is very close to becoming a true reality. “We’re finally starting to get some fundamentally pieces of technology that allow us to create user experiences that we really tie to some use cases out there,” he said.
