Wimbledon is trying out the new Vodafone 5G supported GiveVision headsets on Center Court and Court No. 1 in championships where visually impaired fans watch live tennis.

5G technology is being used for the first time in sports.

The headphones stream live footage from local TV cameras over 5G and enhance the images to suit one’s specific viewing profile. Some degree of vision can be restored by bringing images closer to the eye and stimulating photoreceptor cells in the retina.

Using 5G, fans can fully immerse themselves in the action as they can watch the match live from anywhere in the stands.

Previously, sports fans using headphones could watch the live stream, but they had to stay within 10-20m of a transmitter box in a predetermined ‘accessibility’ area, and each box could only support a limited number of headphones.

5G covers the entire pitch or stadium in unlimited numbers, so blind fans can enjoy the action with friends and family from anywhere in the crowd.

In addition to accessing live broadcasts, people testing the earphones can switch between modes and use the camera phone in the earphones to focus on the action they want.

Using Vodafone’s super-fast 5G network to power the earphones eliminates the lag between the broadcast feed and the earphones, as well as helping to increase the speed and reliability of GiveVision earphones in a live sports environment, making them accessible to more people and in more places.

Because each person’s vision loss is different, the earphones can be adjusted to suit each person’s specific needs, allowing the user to tailor the experience to their personal needs and to track movements in the field independently.

This includes features such as changing the zoom, brightness and contrast of the shot.