infrastructure, paving the way for an increasingly automated future of sports broadcasting technology. BOLSTERING BROADCAST 5G encompasses many verticals, and one of them is broadcast. 5G Broadcast (5G BC) is the technology designed to complement DTT, bringing an original use case and generating new cash flow enveloped in the latest business models. Like other wireless technology, 5G BC was specified for the first time in 2017 and enhanced in 2020. However, to enable 5G BC to leverage the UHF band with existing bandwidths (eg 6MHz in the Americas, 7MHz in Australia and 8MHz in MEA and APAC), the wireless technology needed to undergo a new standard enhancement – which took place in the 3GPP Rel-18 to be ready by mid-2024. And now, 5G BC is ready for prime time! Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) has conducted and supported more than 40 trials and proofs of concept over the last four years to investigate the benefits of 5G BC for content distribution to mobile, as well as to test the technology’s limitations. Use cases include live and linear streaming, public safety and venue casting. According to Mohamed Aziz Taga, head product business development and strategy at R&S, “5G BC is the right technology when reaching
a large audience simultaneously, offering significant cost, energy and frequency efficiency advantages versus the existing legacy methods for content distribution using Unicast.” Thanks to ‘tremendous business development and market creation efforts,’ 5G BC is now mature enough for commercialisation. “Currently, more focus is being placed on fine-tuning the right business model before the first deployments,” he says. ENHANCING FAN EXPERIENCE A recent F1 Grand Prix in the US benefited from private 5G networks by Verizon. They deployed a private solution, enabling venue management solutions like ticket scanning, point of sale and instant uploads for accredited photographers. T-Mobile also activated something similar on behalf of the venues in Vegas during the 2023 GP, including ‘customer perks at Sphere, an immersive driving experience with 360° HD views of the race circuit captured by 5G-connected cameras, plus deployment throughout the Las Vegas Grand Prix pit building for race teams. mmWave enhancements, both inside and outside the Allegiant Stadium, enabled fans with T-Mobile’s network to quickly update their social feeds on the latest plays during Super Bowl LVIII. THE ADVENT OF 5G TECHNOLOGY IN THESE INDUSTRIES HAS UNDOUBTEDLY UNLEASHED A WAVE OF POSSIBILITIES
WATCH ME! Witness the birth of a new dawn in 5G technology
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