ALAMEDA, Calif.—Clear-Com has announced the successful deployment and testing of FreeSpeak Cell by RTL Deutschland during a live event production at Germany’s Nürburgring race circuit. The test validated the system’s ability to deliver reliable, low-latency communications across both private and public 5G networks, demonstrating the potential of cellular-based intercom workflows for future broadcast operations, the company reported.

Conducted in collaboration with RTL Deutschland and supported by Deutsche Telekom’s 5G network expertise and connectivity, the proof of concept demonstrated how FreeSpeak Cell can extend communications coverage across large-scale production environments by leveraging existing 5G infrastructure. The test integrated with RTL's existing communications ecosystem and provided stable connectivity across areas that would traditionally require multiple DECT antennas or additional infrastructure.

“For us at RTL, the flexibility of our production workflows is one of our top priorities,” said Jens Schilder, Project-Engineer at RTL Deutschland. “The successful test at the Nürburgring proves that integrating intercom solutions into 5G infrastructures efficiently bridges the last mile of wireless communication. Thanks to FreeSpeak Cell technology, we were able to ensure stable communications coverage across almost the entire Grand Prix circuit, the paddock, and additional production areas without relying on complex infrastructure. This is a decisive step toward fully mobile remote productions that demand the highest standards of latency and reliability.”

By leveraging 5G connectivity, RTL achieved clear audio quality and reliable communications coverage across almost the entire Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, as well as the paddock and additional production areas including Hatzenbach.

Key results from the text included:

• Successful operation across private campus and public 5G networks
• Extended communications coverage using existing 5G infrastructure
• Integration with RTL's established communications workflow
• Validation of cellular-based intercom technology for live production environments

“The partnership with RTL Deutschland shows our commitment to implementing innovative solutions directly in real-world applications,” added Alex Hemme, sales manager DACH at Clear-Com. “The market demands scalable systems that reduce operating costs while increasing freedom of movement for production teams. FreeSpeak Cell delivers exactly that kind of flexibility and investment security. Demonstrating these capabilities under the demanding conditions of the Nürburgring sends a strong signal to the entire broadcast industry.”

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission has kicked off the agency’s first spectrum auction in four years, an AWS-3 auction offering 200 5G-grade spectrum licenses that have lain fallow for more than a decade.

Bidding in the AWS-3 auction, formally designated as Auction 113, began the morning of June 2.

The auction involves spectrum licenses in the 1,695-1,710 MHz, 1,755-1,780 MHz, and 2,155-2,180 MHz bands and will offer more than 1.4 billion MHz-POPs (“Megahertz Population”) available for auction—a metric calculated by multiplying the bandwidth by the population covered by the licenses. The auction can be tracked here.

The licenses made available had been auctioned in 2014 for commercial use, but were the subject of defaults or bid withdrawals. As a result, these 200 licenses were not sold in the prior auction and the spectrum has remained unused in the FCC’s inventory ever since.

The license areas included in this auction are home to over 100 million consumers across 48 states, two U.S. territories and the Gulf of Mexico. They include major markets like New York, Chicago, Boston, Tampa, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C.

“Finally! The FCC is back in the game,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr enthused in a statement. “Spectrum auctions are the lifeblood of licensed wireless service, and it has been far too long since the FCC has run an auction. Today, we are kicking off a vitally important auction to pump more spectrum into the marketplace. There is a reason why the first item the Commission voted on at my first meeting as Chairman was to get the process going for this very auction. More spectrum means more building, lower prices, and stronger competition. The FCC’s Build America Agenda is restoring America’s leadership in wireless.”

The auction utilizes rules the FCC proposed and adopted last year. Procceeds will fund its Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (commonly known as “rip and replace”), which seeks to remove untrustworthy technology from U.S. communications networks.

LAS VEGAS—Castanet Corp. has announced the launch of a commercial-ready hybrid ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast Internet pilot network in Las Vegas, during the 2026 NAB Show.

The deployment by Castanet and its spectrum partners follows an earlier pilot network in Silicon Valley announced with Major Market Broadcasting.

During the show, company also unveiled a live commercial-ready pilot network, opened its C5G Interactive Live Sports platform to the public and announced progress on its VoDoS wholesale satellite CDN consortium.

Building on its world-first demonstration of 5G Broadcast over ATSC 3.0 at NAB Show New York in October 2025, Castanet said the latest announcements represent measurable progress toward nationwide deployment of a scalable Broadcast Internet platform.

"The broadcast internet era is no longer theoretical. It is here," said Vern Fotheringham, founder and executive chairman of Castanet. "These milestones show the Castanet 5G Broadcast Internet is commercially viable, standards-compliant and ready to create new economics for broadcasters, content owners, sports organizations and the streaming industry."

The pilot network uses ATSC 3.0 as the transport layer for 5G Broadcast in alignment with current FCC regulations and industry standards. Castanet said the deployment demonstrates how LPTV spectrum can serve as a foundational asset in next-generation internet infrastructure.

Castanet said the pilot network showcases:

• High-quality streaming with no buffering across fixed and mobile devices
• Low-latency delivery for live content
• Performance independent of unicast congestion
• Lower cost per delivered bit at scale
• Delivery of live, on-demand and AI-generated content

The Las Vegas deployment also demonstrates how LPTV spectrum owners can transition from existing ATSC 1.0 operations into Castanet's hybrid ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast model without disrupting current service.

Castanet said its consortium of spectrum owners now includes licensees covering about 60% of the U.S. population, with additional expansion planned.

"The Castanet 5G Broadcast Internet provides a compliant path for LPTV stations to better monetize current ATSC 1.0 assets while transitioning into the future of hybrid broadcast internet services," Fotheringham said.

Castanet also announced that its C5G Interactive Live Sports platform is now open to the public after previously being demonstrated privately at NAB Show New York.

The platform is designed as a next-generation second-screen experience that transforms passive viewers into active participants. It delivers interactive, gamified and commerce-enabled content experiences to mobile phones and web users synchronized with live broadcast streams.

Kay platform features, according to Castanet, include:

• Real-time interactive content synchronized with live broadcasts
• Polls, predictions and gamified fan engagement
• Merchandise, ticketing and sponsorship integrations
• Cross-platform deployment using ATSC 1.0 today and 5G Broadcast in the future
• Broadcast-scale delivery to mobile devices and browsers

Castanet said the platform creates an immediate monetization path for broadcasters, sports teams, leagues and content owners using existing ATSC 1.0 infrastructure while providing a built-in upgrade path to Castanet's 5G Broadcast Internet network.

"Our engagement platform enables content owners to deliver next-level experiences that unlock new monetization opportunities," Fotheringham said. "The C5G Interactive Live Sports app demonstrates how second-screen experiences can deepen audience engagement while creating immediate value for spectrum holders."

Major Market Broadcasting and its flagship network, Diya TV, the nation's largest South Asian television network reaching more than 85 million viewers, plan to use the Castanet engagement platform to deliver interactive experiences to audiences nationwide. The company also plans to participate in the C5G Interactive Live Sports initiative.

"The Castanet engagement platform gives Diya TV a powerful new way to connect with our audience," said Deepti Dawar, chief operating officer of Diya TV. "This is what the future of diverse media looks like."

Castanet's third announcement was VoDoS, short for Video-on-Demand-over-Satellite, a multi-partner consortium designed to deliver one-to-many satellite CDN services for both direct-to-consumer and wholesale markets.

The platform combines national satellite distribution efficiency with lower-cost edge-cached storage to improve streaming economics, scalability and service quality.

Castanet said that VoDoS offers:

• Lower delivery costs through satellite multicast at scale
• Consistent quality independent of last-mile congestion
• Improved economics as audiences grow
• Online and offline DRM content protection
• Pre-positioned content in edge caches for faster delivery and usage intelligence

Initial target markets include mobile operators, cable companies, WISPs, satellite ISPs, OTT distributors, legacy direct-to-home providers and broadband companion services for NTN and IoT operators.

"The unicast model that has sustained the internet cannot keep pace with the economics or performance required by today's streaming demand," Fotheringham said. "VoDoS creates infrastructure that becomes more efficient as it scales."

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—A new report from Dell’Oro Group provides mixed news for equipment manufacturers with a forecast that sees telecom capital expenditures declining by 2% in 2026 while increasing by a 1% cumulative average growth rate through 2030.

“We’re seeing an interesting dynamic between long-term optimism and near-term visibility, “said Stefan Pongratz, vice president at Dell’Oro Group.

“Operators remain optimistic about the long-term network vision, particularly as AI drives new demand, but in the short term they are taking a more cautious stance, with many planning to moderate capex,” Pongratz added.

The report found that worldwide telecom investments were stable in 2025 with telecom capex for the approximately 50 service providers covered in the Telecom Capex Report—representing roughly 80 percent of global capex—was flat in nominal US dollar (USD) terms.

The researchers indicated that the relationship between capex and telecom equipment revenue across the six programs tracked by Dell’Oro Group—Broadband Access, Microwave & Optical Transport, Mobile Core Network (MCN), Radio Access Network (RAN), and Service Provider Router & Switch—remained stable.

As previously reported, equipment manufacturer revenue increased 4 percent year-over-year in 2025. The slightly stronger equipment vs. capex growth can, to some degree, be explained by the boost from the cloud providers. We estimate they accounted for around half of the growth in equipment revenue.

Additional highlights from the March 2026 Telecom Capex report:

• Worldwide telecom capex is projected to decline 2 percent in 2026 and grow at a 1 percent CAGR through 2030.
• With carrier revenues on track to increase modestly (~2 percent CAGR), the capex-to-revenue ratio is projected to approach 14 percent by 2029.
• Wireless capital intensity is projected to approach 11 percent in 2029, down seven percentage points from the 5G peak.

LONDON—Neutral Wireless, a provider of private 5G connectivity solutions for live production and large-scale events, together with Haivision have released details about their work with ITN on a private 5G live broadcast deployment supporting the London New Year’s Eve Fireworks 2025/26 production.

The deployment by ITN, Neutral Wireless, and Haivision during the London New Year’s Eve Fireworks 2025/26 is notable as the UK’s first live broadcast deployment using newly short notice, short duration n40 band spectrum at 2320 to 2340 MHz. It enabled agile, high quality production workflows that reached millions of viewers at midnight.

The joint deployment brought together ITN’s live production expertise, Neutral Wireless’ private 5G platform and Haivision’s live video contribution technology to demonstrate how emerging spectrum options can transform connectivity for crowded live events where public mobile networks can become congested.

Working collaboratively, the partners deployed wireless production infrastructure across a complex and high demand density urban environment, supporting resilient live content delivery at national scale.

A portable Neutral Wireless Pop-up 5G Pro system was used to deploy a single cell, providing coverage along the riverbank for wireless camera positions. Two full HD camera feeds were delivered to a local Haivision StreamHub in the production gallery using Falkon X2 and Haivision Pro mobile video transmitters connected to the n40 private network.

The introduction from UK regulator Ofcom of short notice, short duration licenses in the 2.3GHz band spectrum announced on 3rd December 2025 is expected to simplify licensing and accelerate deployment timelines for users including short term productions, allowing broadcasters to establish high performance networks in days rather than weeks.

Tony Dotchin, field support manager at ITN said: “This deployment showed how quickly we can establish reliable connectivity in one of the year’s busiest broadcast environments. By combining private 5G with modern IP workflows, we worked with greater agility while maintaining the high production standards expected of ITN.”

By adopting modern IP video workflows supported by private 5G connectivity, the deployment reduced reliance on extensive cabling, large outside broadcast compounds and traditional infrastructure. This approach supports more sustainable production models by lowering logistical requirements while enabling teams to deploy connectivity precisely where it is needed.

“Collaborating closely with ITN and Haivision allowed us to demonstrate how new spectrum like n40 can unlock faster, more flexible production environments,” explained Malcolm Brew chief engineer at neutral wireless. “It’s not about replacing existing broadcast workflows but enhancing them with wireless capabilities that make live production more engaging, scalable and efficient.”

Geoffrey Aitken, vice president EMEA sales, broadcast at Haivision added that “Live broadcasters are under increasing pressure to deliver higher quality content from more locations while working within tighter timelines and more complex connectivity environments. Private 5G helps address one of the industry’s biggest challenges: ensuring reliable, low-latency video contribution in crowded or unpredictable network conditions. By combining private cellular networks with wireless transmission, broadcasters gain the flexibility to deploy cameras anywhere while maintaining the performance and resilience required for live production.”

The partners on the deployment also noted that the successful broadcast demonstrates how private 5G is moving beyond trials into operational use across live news, sport and entertainment. The deployment builds on Neutral Wireless’ broader work delivering private 5G production across land, sea and air environments, alongside ITN’s continued exploration of new production technologies and Haivision’s expertise in low latency video contribution.

BARCELONA, Spain—XGN Global and X1 Mobile are showcasing their newly released rugged smartphone capable of receiving 5G Broadcast television signals at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), March 2-5.

The device, said to be the world’s first commercial 5G Broadcast smartphone, has been specifically designed for first responder solutions. It delivers reliable, high-quality broadcast content in demanding environments where traditional cellular networks may be congested or unavailable.

5G Broadcast is a free-to-air technology that enables direct delivery of live television, audio and emergency information to compatible devices without requiring a cellular subscription or consuming mobile data.

This one-to-many broadcast approach leverages existing broadcast infrastructure for efficient, wide-area coverage, making it well-suited for public safety, emergency response and mass-event communications. The smartphone enables first responders to receive emergency alerts in less than half of a second even when cellular networks are down or overloaded.

The first model of this 5G Broadcast-enabled rugged smartphone is a European variant, supporting the majority of European television frequencies and will be available starting in May 2026.

A companion Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) device is scheduled to follow in Q3 2026. X1 Mobile will subsequently release a U.S.-specific model capable of receiving U.S. broadcast frequencies in Q3 2026.

5G Broadcast is poised for commercial availability later this year in the United States, building on experimental licenses and planned network expansions covering millions of viewers.

The 5G Broadcast solution integrates Enensys 5G Broadcast Client, the Cube Agent Mobile, which serves as the interface between the 5G Broadcast chipset and the application player while also managing the seamless switch between broadcast and unicast modes.

The Cube Agent is interfaced with proprietary code developed by X1 Mobile, ensuring seamless reception and robust performance tailored for mission-critical applications.

XGN Global operates in the United States and Ireland, while X1 Mobile operates in the United States.

See XGN Global and X1 Mobile in the Enensys booth (5B-61-34) at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

More information is available on the Enensys website.



Major U.S. wireless carriers like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are aggressively lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to repurpose the entire upper C-band (3.98–4.2 GHz) for flexible-use wireless services, aiming to secure up to 180 MHz of additional spectrum for expanded capacity.

Observers say those companies want it all, top to bottom. Wireless industry association CTIA, for one, met with the FCC this month and put on the record that it wants the “maximum amount of spectrum” in the upper C-Band for full-power, licensed wireless deployments.

While carriers and other wireless service providers are anxious to grab the maximum amount of capacity, they face stiff pushback from broadcasters urging a limit of 100 MHz.

The FCC has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to repurpose the 3.98–4.2 GHz band for flexible-use terrestrial services, with an auction targeted for 2027. The commission is mandated by Congress to take at least another 100 MHz for wireless services.

The National Association of Broadcasters said taking that much spectrum for terrestrial cellular services could disrupt vital content distribution services.

(This story from our sister publication Radio World focuses on filing by wireless entities. Read their coverage of the NAB’s latest reply comments here.)

Data usage needs

Driven by the need for more mid-band spectrum to support 5G, and eventually 6G services, major wireless carriers are continuing their push for the maximum possible amount, aiming for the full 180 MHz.

The wireless carriers emphasized the importance of “maximizing” the amount of C-band spectrum to be repurposed. AT&T cited the historic growth in data usage by Americans that underscores the importance of the commission’s efforts in the proceeding to free up additional mid-band spectrum.

AT&T, in its comments, said that for the third year in a row, U.S. mobile network data usage demand grew approximately 35%, a historic surge and a pace that would nearly double the amount of data used every two years.

“Stakeholders broadly agree that the upper C-band will play a key role in 5G and beyond,” AT&T wrote.

Moving incumbents

Verizon focused part of its recent reply comments on the feasibility of moving incumbent users, including satellite audio and video services used by broadcasters, out of the upper C-band.

The broadband giant said comments filed in the proceeding confirm there is a feasible path for transitioning incumbents out of the spectrum, while ensuring they can receive “substantially” the same service that exists today.

Some existing space station operators, Verizon said, have detailed opportunities to reorganize and compress customers into a smaller segment of upper C-band spectrum, while others could be moved to Ku-band spectrum.

It also pointed to commenters who said fiber and internet protocol distribution technologies present effective alternatives for services provided today.

Transition plan

Verizon and others said that Fixed Service Satellite providers like SES – the largest upper C-band satellite operator, responsible for over 95% of all video content in the band – have already outlined a plan to clear 180 megahertz of the band (160 Megahertz for terrestrial wireless service and 20 Megahertz for a guard band), but that full transition could take years to plan.

Therefore, several commenters suggested a plan that would take several stages to complete, with the 100 MHz mandated in the Big Beautiful Bill being the first implemented in 2027.

Once the FCC makes a final determination on how much spectrum to repurpose, wireless carriers urged the commission to follow a similar regulatory framework of the lower C-band repurposing and auction in 2020, a transition that booted broadcast services to the upper section of C-band.

T-Mobile said in its comments: “The record in the proceeding reflects near-unanimous support for such a reallocation and a regulatory framework for terrestrial mobile use that is harmonized across the C-band, including, among other things, applying the licensing and technical rules adopted for the lower C-band (3.7–3.98 GHz) to the upper C-band.”

CTIA meets with the commission

In the latest round of comments collected by the FCC this week, CTIA shared what it wished for in a meeting with FCC officials in February: making available the “maximum amount of upper C-band spectrum” for licensed, or exclusive, full-power terrestrial wireless deployments.

CTIA also requested a “clear, unwavering schedule” for wireless licensees to begin their deployments in the near term following the auction and harmonizing the lower and upper C-band technical rules, as appropriate.

CTIA said the spectrum is also needed to support AI innovation.

“The fact remains that data demand continues to grow year after year and additional spectrum will be needed to support this continued growth, particularly as AI begins to scale, with AI applications projected to drive uplink traffic 20 percent higher than it would be with existing applications,” CTIA said.

Ericsson, the multinational networking and telecommunications company, said maximizing the upper C-band for wireless helps promote national security of the United States.

“Repurposing the upper C-band,” Ericsson said, “will promote national security through the advancement of secure and trusted communications networks and equipment.

“As the commission is well aware, the dry spectrum well of the past several years created a leadership vacuum that allowed China to advance its own economic interests and security prerogatives at home and abroad through exports of its equipment to other countries,” it commented.

Meanwhile, the Competitive Carriers Association said it is very much in favor of utilizing the upper C-band for 5G and future 6G endeavors, but emphasized the need to make it fair for small and rural carriers when auctioning off the spectrum for wireless services. It questioned whether previously designated bid credits for small and rural carriers are still adequate.

“CCA agrees that mid-band auctions present unique challenges for rural providers. Mid-band spectrum offers the optimal balance of coverage and capacity for rural deployment,” the group said. “However, rural providers frequently face substantial capital constraints when competing against nationwide carriers with exponentially greater financial resources.”

Next-generation satellite

Some commenters, including Space X, suggested reserving portions of the upper C-band spectrum for next-generation satellite services (Direct-to-Device) rather than solely for terrestrial cellular services.

T-Mobile and the other wireless carriers told the commission to decline those proposals seeking to introduce mobile satellite services or shared-use mechanisms in the repurposed upper C-band.

There are also some technical challenges to overcome once spectrum for FSS earth stations is shifted elsewhere, according to multiple filers. The upper C-band is adjacent to the 4.2–4.4 GHz band used by radio altimeters in aviation, requiring careful management of interference risks, according to Boeing and several aeronautical entities.

In addition, several commenters pointed to the Federal Aviation Administration’s recent notice of proposed rulemaking concerning upgrading radio altimeters to withstand interference from adjacent wireless operations. The timeframe for implementing those upgrades is uncertain, according to observers.

CTIA in its comments hinted at a need for collaboration between government agencies to accomplish the goal of repurposing the spectrum for flexible-use wireless services.

“The coordinated FCC and FAA proceedings, buttressed by congressional action, standards development and cross-industry collaboration, have positioned all stakeholders for timely execution,” it said.

[This article appeared first in our sister publication Radio World. Their extensive business and regulatory coverage of the broadcast industry can be found here.]

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SAN FRANCISCO—In addition to the massive amount of production and broadcast technologies being deployed this week for Super Bowl LX, with Sony supplying over 175 cameras, and NBC Sports reporting that it laid down more than 75 miles of cable, the host venue Levi Stadium got a major wireless upgrade to handle the needs of both fans and media covering the game according to the Wireless Infrastructure Association.

In an article for its website, the group noted that “for wireless professionals, the Super Bowl is more than a sporting spectacle — it’s a massive stress test, demonstrating how cellular networks, distributed antenna systems, small cells, Wi‑Fi, spectrum layering and cybersecurity converge to create a seamless digital experience. From stadium concourses to city streets and transit hubs, this month’s sporting events highlight just how crucial high-performance wireless networks have become.”

Costa Kladianos, the 49ers’ executive vice president of technology, described the upgrade to WIA as a “complete rebuild.”

Working with JMA Wireless, “Levi’s installed a digital DAS capable of 5G, multi-band LTE, and future spectrum layers, delivering what Kladianos calls `70,000 VIP experiences” for every fan walking through the doors. Redundant fiber and power paths ensure high availability, while energy-efficient designs reduce the stadium’s carbon footprint. The result is a long-term foundation built to handle extreme device density, high-speed uploads, and ultra-reliable connectivity for years to come,” wrote the author of WIA article Kristen Beckman.

In addition, AT&T “refreshed the DAS inside Levi’s Stadium and expanded macro and small cell sites around stadium-adjacent fan zones” and Verizon, “layered C-Band and mmWave deployments for high throughput and capacity. Together, these carriers deployed nearly 200 projects spanning DAS, small cells, and backhaul, with on-site RF engineers and real-time command center monitoring fine-tuning the network for peak efficiency. Small cells targeted high-traffic ingress and egress points, while private slices ensured operational communications remained uninterrupted. The combined system sustains tens of thousands of simultaneous connections with minimal latency, even during tailgate surges.”

More details about the upgrade, including advanced security solutions and upgrades to BART public transit stations, are available here.

LAS VEGAS—In a wide-ranging fireside chat at CES 2026, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr reiterated the importance of local news and information provided by local broadcasters and their rollout of NextGen TV broadcasts.

Carr declined, however, to take a position on whether the FCC would impose mandates requiring TV to be able to receive 3.0 signals and reaffirmed his commitment to enforcing public interest standards on broadcast content in ways that have been controversial with broadcasters and free speech advocates.

In the interview with Carr, Gary Shapiro, executive chair and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, repeatedly praised Carr and President Donald Trump.

At one point, Shapiro called Trump’s speech on AI “the best speech I've heard any president or national leader give on technology,” prompting Carr to quip that Shapiro’s “second favorite” speech by Trump must have been the one the president made regarding tariffs, a policy that has been opposed by the CTA.

In contrast, Shapiro did not mention critics who have contended that the public interest standards being imposed on broadcasters might violate free speech or First Amendment rights.

Shapiro did, however, cite statistics showing that viewers were much more likely to watch video over streaming platforms and cable. He also asked Carr if the FCC had plans to identify lesser-used spectrum and potentially auction it off.

In terms of the public-nterest standard, Carr said, “broadcasters are a very, very unique distribution medium that because the government is picking a winner and loser. [Because] you get a license, you get this microphone, you get to speak, you don't necessarily get to conduct yourself the same way you would if you were on a podcast or a soapbox or a cable chain.”

“So one thing that I've been working on is attempting to reinvigorating the FCC public interest standard,” Carr said. “Now some people have raised concerns about that. They don't want to comply with our public-interest obligations, and I think there are a couple options there. One, if you're a broadcaster and don't like the fact of that public-interest obligation, you can turn your license in. There's lots of different ways to distribute your content. You can become a cable channel, you become a podcast, you become a YouTube channel. If you want the unique privilege of broadcasting your content over the airways and…all the benefits that come with it, retrans, must-carry, [and] various rights, then you’ve got to comply with public interest in it.”

Another option, Carr said, in terms of the public interest standard would be to “put that spectrum back up for auction. If you want to continue to broadcast without the public interest obligation, then maybe let everyone have a fair and free shot at purchasing that spectrum without the public-interest obligation.”

In terms of the transition to NextGen TV, Carr said: “As a general matter, we're really supportive of this transition to 3.0 because it can be not just better television, but it can also be used for data casting, which can be a new competitive service, and so we're looking at all those options. We've asked some questions…We're gonna look at it all…[What] is the future of broadcasting? What does local broadcasting look like in five years and 10 years and 15 years? And that is something that I spend a lot of time thinking about, and how do we get the regulatory framework right?

“If you care about local news and local reporting in this country, if you think that's valuable as a public interest, as a national interest, right now, local broadcast television stations are the ones that are almost exclusively, in many cases, doing it,” Carr added. “Look at newspapers. They [have been closing]...by the dozens all across the country. Your local 5 o’clock, 6 o’clock TV news are sort of the last of the real local gumshoes [on the ground] report. Now I love that we're getting a lot more social media as well…But I still think that institutionally, those local broadcasters play a key role.”

Finding a way to strengthen those efforts is important for the FCC, he added, “because the competition is fierce, the ad revenue is declining.”

Carr said that one way to strengthen these local broadcasters would be to rebalance the relationship between the owners of the large national networks, like ABC parent Disney, and the local stations.

“I think over the years, the balance of power has shifted too far into the hands of the national programmers, and they're effectively just using local TV stations as outlets for their own programming,” he stressed. “We're looking at lots of ways to really empower those local broadcast TV stations to actually identify the needs of their local communities and serve those needs of the local communities, and not merely become” something that passes along national programming.

The full fireside chat can be accessed at C-SPAN.org.

HUNT VALLEY, Md.—Sinclair and its wholly-owned subsidiary One Media Technologies have released a new report focused on how ATSC 3.0, the IP-based NextGen TV standard, delivers data more efficiently and in a more sustainable manner than other wireless transmission alternatives.

The report, “ATSC 3.0: Efficient, Scalable, Sustainable Wireless Capacity,” was penned by One Media Technologies strategic marketing advisor Josh Gordon with an introduction by Sinclair senior vice president and One Media Technologies president Mark Aitken.

“ATSC 3.0’s IP streams are now opening business and efficiency opportunities at broadcast stations as well as with the IP systems used by telecoms, streamers, CDNs, and data transport companies,” the report says.

While covering a lot of familiar ground for those involved with the standard, the report brings a good deal of context to the discussion, particularly in terms of how 3.0 and 5G together address some major problems with growing video consumption over unicast wireless networks. It examines how 3.0 can reduce 5G capacity spikes and thereby reduce the need for infrastructure buildout, additional electrical power and associated carbon emissions created to power new network cells as well as create massive savings in the capital expense otherwise needed to construct new 5G cell sites.

Hybrid 5G-Broadcast Examples
The report points to two examples of the benefits of a hybrid multicast-unicast data network. In the U.K., British Telecom has spent about $1 billion to create its Multicast-Assisted Unicast Delivery System (MAUD), which leverages existing terrestrial broadcast and satellite spectrum to augment 5G service and cut capacity peaks in half.

The report quotes a CSI magazine interview with BT director of engineering Ian Parr as saying: “We can expect MAUD technology to use up to 50% less bandwidth during peak events, reducing energy usage through the use of fewer caches, and network equipment scale. What is more, next generations of equipment will use even less power and drive down carbon emissions of media distributions.”

If current media consumption trends continue, with individuals accessing content via a solely unicast wireless network, it could cost the U.K. wireless industry as much as $20.8 billion to build out capacity to handle the traffic, making MAUD’s $1 billion price tag a bargain, the report says.

Similarly, India’s 5G wireless network “sometimes gets clogged” with video, the report says, pointing out that congestion will only get worse going forward as mobile content consumption is expected to double every three to four years. That’s why Prasar Bharati, the nation’s public broadcaster, has conducted two rounds of trials of 3.0-based Direct-to-Mobile (D2M). The D2M initiative is in keeping with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goals of using advanced digital technologies to advance the nation’s socioeconomic growth, it says.

According to the report, D2M could “shift 25-30%” of video traffic from 5G to enable operators to moderate their 5G network expansion.

Quoting a May 2025 article from The Economic Times of India, the report says: “India appears to be moving closer to a commercial roll-out of the direct-to-mobile (D2M) technology, having completed significant preparatory work.”

ATSC 3.0 Efficiency
The report begins with a discussion of the efficiency of the ATSC 3.0 physical layer. It discusses how closely 3.0’s different operating points (capacity vs. robustness) are aligned with the Shannon Limit—the maximum number of bits that can pass through a channel, pointing out that on this basis alone 3.0 is 28% more efficient than ATSC 1.0.

It also discusses how the High-Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) is four times more efficient than the MPEG-2 codec used for 1.0. Together, the physical layer efficiency and HEVC’s efficiency “deliver a 5x video efficiency increase over ATSC 1.0,” it says.

It then explores how even greater video efficiencies can be achieved with the standard. It points out that the Versatile Video Codec (VVC), which the Advanced Television Systems Committee standardized support for earlier in the year, is twice as efficient as HEVC. Further, efficiencies are possible through the use of Multiple Input Multiple Output technology, which is supported in ATSC 3.0 and is one of the centerpieces of Brazil’s TV 3.0 standard, which leverages many components of the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards.

The report is published as a PDF with links to multiple reference works, including guides, manuals, articles and videos, such a 30-minute video on the functionality of the 3.0 physical layer by Luke Fay of Sony Electronics, former chair of the ATSC committee that developed it.

The report concludes by reiterating how ATSC 3.0 enhances efficiency and sustainability. “Broadcasters that adopt ATSC 3.0 advance responsible stewardship of their broadcast spectrum by both raising the efficiency of TV delivery, and by adding efficiency to IP systems they integrate with. In short, ATSC 3.0 transforms the output of a terrestrial TV station into a series of multipurpose streams that can natively integrate with digital infrastructure.”

According to a One Media Technologies spokesperson, the report will be discussed during a Dec. 11 TVNewsCheck webinar.

Click here to download the report.

More information about the webinar is available online.

BELLEVUE, Wash. and NEW YORK—Fox Weather has tapped T-Mobile as its preferred communications provider and said all of its reporters will be equipped with SuperMobile, a T-Mobile business plan that combines intelligent performance, built-in security and seamless satellite coverage.

Fox Weather said the enhanced connectivity solution will allow its reporters to deliver uninterrupted coverage from virtually anywhere in the U.S., regardless of conditions. Reporters can livestream from the heart of a storm, share real-time radar imagery and send critical updates to producers and audiences, even during times of high network demand, the companies said.

“We are thrilled to work with T-Mobile as our preferred communications provider,” said Sharri Berg, president of Fox Weather, “With our expansive reporter footprint across the country, this collaboration will ensure our communications network can keep up with our breaking news coverage regardless of the situation on the ground.”

“The Fox Weather team goes where conditions are most unpredictable — from sudden summer storms and winter fronts to wildfires and tornadoes in rural communities,” added Mo Katibeh, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile Business Group. “That’s why we built SuperMobile: to give reporters intelligent performance, secure connectivity and off-grid coverage with T-Satellite, so Fox Weather can keep delivering the updates communities count on—powered by America’s Best Mobile Network.”

T-Mobile said the plan offers Fox Weather three key capabilities:

• Intelligent connectivity on America’s Best Mobile Network. The SuperMobile network slice technology dynamically allocates network resources to support Fox Weather’s most critical needs—from high-quality livestreams to large video files and real-time updates. By helping prevent buffering, dropped feeds, and slow uploads, SuperMobile gives teams a more consistent experience whether they’re streaming from the aftermath of a storm or sending high-resolution radar imagery from the field—even in times of high demand.
• Built-in security designed for journalists. Leveraging T-Mobile’s 5G standalone architecture, the plan provides enhanced encryption, advanced device authentication and strong privacy protections.
• Access to the nation’s largest satellite-to-mobile network with T-Satellite. With more than 650 satellites in orbit, Fox Weather crews stay online even in the more than 500,000 square miles of the country that are unreached by any carrier’s earth-bound cell towers. And as of Oct. 1, T-Satellite now includes data, helping Fox Weather reporters access apps like maps for navigation and share video and picture messages to stay connected to the latest weather conditions in remote places that terrestrial cellular networks cannot reach.

More information is available here and at FoxWeather.com.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir will bring its 5G passthrough demo to IBC audiences once again as interest in the technology’s value for broadcast-to-mobile delivery grows. Debuted at IBC2024, the technology employs 5G modulation within its Maxiva XTE exciter to send live TV content to a smartphone across the 5G waveform.

The “5G passthrough” to mobile devices is achieved over UHF channels, effectively opening the door for broadcast’s highly efficient one-to-many model to make a difference with mobile TV delivery. Adopting the UHF frequency allows broadcasters to avoid using valuable mobile spectrum, while consumers can receive, decode and view content on the same mobile devices that they already use.

GatesAir’s provision of 5G delivery across the UHF channels not only guarantees 5G exclusivity for voice and mobile cellular use, but also gives broadcasters the ability to adopt 5G delivery without needing to replace their existing transmitters, the company said. The new modulation technique can be applied to GatesAir’s Maxiva ULXTE, UAXTE and OP Series of liquid-cooled and air-cooled UHF transmitters. Maxiva transmission products are built for standards-agnostic transmission, with the software-defined XTE exciter able to support all current digital and analog TV standards.

“Visitors to our booth last year were actively assessing the possibility that offloading broadcast content to UHF frequencies may become a reality within the next 5-10 years,” said Raymond Miklius, Vice President of Technology, GatesAir. “With more trials on the horizon, our purpose this year is to show broadcasters that we are actively prepared to assist when that time arrives, especially in Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific region that are pursuing trials.”

GatesAir representatives will be available to discuss 5G as well as traditional terrestrial waveforms on stand 8.B75 at IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam.

Faced with an FCC investigation into its spectrum licenses and large debts that could have pushed it into bankruptcy, EchoStar has agreed to sell the company's 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz spectrum licenses (a total of 50 MHz of nationwide spectrum) to AT&T for about $23 billion.

The deal will allow Echostar to pay down debt, refocus its operations and help resolve the current FCC investigation that had raised fears it might file for bankruptcy.

"I'm enormously proud of the EchoStar team for deploying the world's first Open RAN network in record time, despite industry skepticism and in the face of the many challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Charlie Ergen, co-founder and chairman, EchoStar. "EchoStar and Boost Mobile have met all of the FCC's network buildout milestones. However, this spectrum sale to AT&T and hybrid MNO agreement are critical steps toward resolving the FCC's spectrum utilization concerns."

The deal has major implications for the wireless business, where it will strengthen AT&T’s position in the 5G and home internet business. But the deal is likely to also have an impact on cable operators and broadband providers.

The $23 billion acquisition will add an average of approximately 50 MHz of low-band and mid-band spectrum to AT&T’s holdings – covering virtually every market across the U.S. That will improve the company’s ability to add converged subscribers with both 5G wireless and home internet services in more places.

The agreement ends EchoStar’s dreams of becoming a major wireless, 5G provider but the deal allows EchoStar participation in wireless industry through long-term wholesale network services agreement with AT&T for its Boost Mobile’s service.

Through Boost Mobile's hybrid MNO infrastructure, subscribers will continue to receive service from Boost Mobile's cloud-native 5G core connected to AT&T's nationwide network, EchoStar said.

While primary connectivity will be provided by AT&T's towers, Boost Mobile subscribers will continue to have access to the T-Mobile network. Customers will experience no interruptions to service. As a result of this transaction, elements of Boost Mobile's radio access network (RAN) will be decommissioned over time, EchoStar reported.

"This transaction puts our business on a solid financial path, further facilitating EchoStar's long-term success, and enhancing our ability to innovate and compete as a hybrid network operator. The proceeds of this transaction will be used for, among other things, retiring certain debt obligations and funding EchoStar's continued operations and growth initiatives," said Hamid Akhavan, CEO and president, EchoStar. "We continue to evaluate strategic opportunities for our remaining spectrum portfolio in partnership with the U.S. government and wireless industry participants."

The agreement also has important implications for major cable operators and broadband providers. By strengthening AT&T’s ability to provide both 5G and home internet services it will create increased competition for their broadband and wireless services, which have become the backbone of their operations amid an ongoing decline in pay TV subs.

The deal also weakens their position for negotiating MVNO deals for spectrum for their own wireless services as reduces the main wireless players to three—T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon.

If the deal passes regulatory muster, Echostar will also retain a smaller, but significant package of spectrum that it would sell to other companies like Verizon or Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Musk has been trying to get the FCC take away some of those EchoStar licenses.

ATLANTA—Move over Shohei Ohtani. Make way Aaron Judge. Tonight’s 2025 MLB All-Star Game will see a private 5G wireless network emerge as a television production all-star in its own right, contributing numerous wireless camera shots, supporting comms and camera control from in and around Truist Park.

“The amazing part about Atlanta is that it’s not just a ballpark, and it’s not just a ballpark with a big parking lot around it,” Brad Cheney, vice president of field operations and engineering at Fox Sports, said. “It’s a ballpark with an amazing entertainment district [The Battery Atlanta] tied to it. That screams connectivity needs for us.”

(Editor’s note: Fox stations and cable network Fox Deportes will air the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at 8 p.m. ET from Truist Park in Atlanta. Viewers can also stream the game with the Fox Sports app and on Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, YouTube TV and DirecTV.)

Crowded House
The Battery Atlanta, adjacent to the home of the Atlanta Braves, is a mixed use/entertainment complex with shops, bars and restaurants. Office buildings, apartments and a hotel round out its features—any one of which increases wireless network traffic and together, for an event like the All-Star Game, compounds the wireless network challenge.

“We learned back in 2021 during the World Series that The Battery was popular, and it’s continued to grow ever since from when it was relatively small and new,” he said.

To sidestep any 5G network congestion, Fox Sports is working with Major League Baseball sponsor and technology partner T-Mobile for private 5G wireless network coverage of the entertainment district and ballpark. CP Communications is managing the private 5G network and most conventional RF and wireless comms, he added, noting that the RF connectivity of a handful of specialty cameras being deployed will be managed by their respective vendors.

Fox Sports made big use of 5G for wireless camera contribution on Monday (July 14) during FS1’s “Live at the All-Star Game” show and will again rely on 5G connectivity to contribute shots for tonight’s game to “expand the zone of coverage” to include The Battery and Truist Park, Cheney said.

For the 140 wireless communications packs to be used to produce the game, there was no other practical choice. “There’s really no system large enough out there that’s not cellular-based that can do the amount of wireless audio packs we need for communications—not just for us, but also for Major League Baseball, for ESPN and all of the other rightsholders,” said Cheney.

Production Highpoints
Fox Sports will produce the All-Star Game in 1080p Full-HD HDR. Upscaled 4K HDR streams will be available for connected TVs and living room apps, such as Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV and Roku devices.

It will deploy 55 cameras, including six Super-Slow Mo cameras, a FlyCam traveling from The Battery Atlanta into the ballpark at home plate along the first base line, a helicopter camera and a drone camera from Beverly Hills Aerials.

A first for All-Star Game coverage, the broadcaster will outfit the entire umpire crew with body-worn cameras. Base umpires will wear MindFly chest cams, while the home plate umpire will wear a third-generation RF Wireless Mask Cam, the broadcaster said.

Managing the color and the look of the Ump Cams and drone camera isn’t simply a matter of tweaking CCU settings, especially given the need to integrate the camera shots seamlessly into the HDR production of the game.

“We’ve spent some time with colorists to make a profile for the drone that takes the SDR and makes the HDR correctly that matches the broadcast cameras as close as possible, obviously, knowing that the lensing is not the same and the sensors are not the same,” said Cheney. “We then use [AJA Video] ColorBoxes [and color controllers from Cyanview] to actually manage that color throughout the game.”

Fox Sports has a history with this color management strategy for specialty cameras, Cheney noted. During the UFL season, Fox Sports made extensive use of Mindfly cameras, and it has been regularly using the third-generation RF Wireless Mask Cam this season since it debuted during the 2024 MLB playoffs.

“It looks spectacular on its own, but when we get the maestros to tweak it up a bit, it’s going to look exactly like everything else there.”

The broadcaster must also address the effect of changing lighting conditions on color and the overall look of video as the evening game, which starts in daylight, transitions to stadium lighting as night falls. Fox Sports will rely on the ColorBoxes and Cyanview units to make necessary adjustments, according to Cheney.

Five COSM cameras are being deployed for presentation of the game at the COSM venues in Los Angeles and Dallas; however, it’s likely they will be used “once or twice throughout the broadcast to show off a special angle,” he said.

Fox Sports will deploy 40 field-effects mics and 10 player mics for real-time conversations between the announcers and players in the game. Joe Davis and John Smoltz will reunite in the booth for their fourth All-Star Game together. Reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci will provide inside information and in-game reports from the field, the broadcaster said.

The ongoing work at Fox Sports leveraging artificial intelligence to uncover storylines from all audio sources that might otherwise get overlooked will not be integrated into game coverage. “That’s something we are working to deploy in Major League Baseball overall, but it’s not something for the All-Star Game,” said Cheney.

“Our audio focus for this show is really about the player audio and the two-ways that we’re able to do with all those players and continually making that kind of the focus of the game itself,” said Cheney.

ST. LOUIS—Many tests define the outcome of football games. There are tests of will, individual talent, team play, gameplans, motivation and more.

But for Fox Sports, the UFL has become a proving ground where innovative new technology can be tried under game conditions to determine what works, what needs improvement and what new production tech tools the broadcaster can use in the future to up its game regardless of the sport that’s being covered.

Such was the case June 8 here at The Dome at America’s Center when the UFL’s D.C. Defenders defeated the St. Louis Battlehawks 36-18 in the XFL Conference Championship. (Editor’s note: XFL is now the name of the UFL conference to which both teams belong.)

During the game, Fox Sports continued limited deployments and separate technology trials–one for video and the other for audio—that it sees one day playing important roles in UFL productions and beyond.

AI and Audio
The evolution of TV sound has seen mono give way to stereo, which in turn has given way to 5.1 surround and is now advancing slowly to immersive, object-based audio. But there’s another ongoing audio advancement that Fox Sports is testing.

The broadcaster is testing the use of artificial intelligence to give its audio engineers additional tools to enhance the soundscape viewers' experience during UFL games, NFL matchups and ultimately the range of sports it produces.

“One of the things we’re trying to determine is how do we derive more sound out of the sound we are capturing that is going to interest viewers,” said Brad Cheney, vice president of Field Operations and Engineering at Fox Sports.

About 100 feet away from the Game Creek Video Gridiron production unit where Eddie Verstraite, the broadcaster’s UFL audio sub-mixer, sat behind his console, the broadcaster positioned a six-foot-long folding table with its AI setup receiving the sub-mix from the truck—among them the field microphones.

“There are eight microphones out on the field level. The AI allows us to pan and scan around to find certain pieces of audio triangulated between those microphones,” said Cheney. “The beauty of it is that once you have that audio coming inbound, you're not tied to a single output of it. You can make multiple outputs of it and start to do other things with player tracking; for example, you are able to follow that audio or that person around.”

During the game, one goal was to determine the “next pieces of the puzzle” to make the triangulation possible, which entailed isolating sounds correctly to highlight a player or coach and thereby improve the overall production, he said.

“We want to enhance the show by only putting out an array of microphones vs. lots of people trying to aim directionally,” said Cheney.

The broadcaster has other AI-based audio enhancements in the works, as well. With players, coaches and referees mic-ed during games, it’s easy to miss exchanges that might offer key insights into what’s happening on the field. Fox Sports is looking to use speech-to-text AI algorithms to help.

“The more audio we’re taking in and the more we are able to capture, the harder it is to figure out what we’re listening to,” he said.

The broadcaster is testing AI speech-to-text identification of keywords in conversations and “is beginning to figure out the level of keywords that pop out” to alert the production team about what is being said, the next play to be run and what modifications are being made, said Cheney.

Ultimately, the broadcaster envisions this level of insight not only alerting production personnel to what’s happening, but also how announcers call games and even how coaches coach as opposing teams receive this data in real time, he said.

AI also holds out the prospect of bringing a more consistent sound to the production of UFL, NFL and college football games, Cheney added. “The benefit of having this stuff and capturing and keeping it is that we’re able to model it for a UFL scenario, and then we’re able to model it against the NFL scenario by taking certain mics and certain audio out of what we’re doing because each has different micing capabilities and different audio coming inbound.”

Private 5G Network
This season, Fox Sports has outfitted at least one of its sideline cameras with wireless connectivity to a private 5G network for contribution. During the conference championship game, it worked with Verizon and CP Communications to deploy a private 5G network and wireless sideline camera and relied on public 5G connectivity outside to contribute shots from a helicopter above the venue.

“We launched in the latter half of the UFL season a true private 5G network with a live sideline camera that went all the way back to Los Angeles directly on a private connection,” said Cheney. The camera, which was linked into Fox Sports’ production network on-site, was linked to Los Angeles where the Homerun Production (REMI) was being done.

“That camera bypassed every encode path we had here, beat all of the encoders back to L.A. with full, true video, return [video], video control, tally, comms—all of that stuff—all built into a single system,” said Cheney, adding that the delay was about 500ms. “It was fully operational, ran in the game and did everything we wanted it to do.”

Cheney anticipates the use of 5G wireless camera contribution and networks will only grow over time. Not only is there less latency, but 5G private and public networks eliminate the complexity of shoehorning signals into crowded spectrum, the need for special temporary authority (STAs) from the FCC and setting up RF receive sites for shots, such as those from the helicopter.

The setup also offers greater flexibility depending upon where it is being used. For instance, the day before the game, Fox Sports deployed four roaming wireless IP cameras for the 2025 Belmont Stakes in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Two were outfitted with 5G modems from multiple carriers that could be used in a bonded channel configuration if needed on public wireless networks, and two others ran exclusively on the private 5G network setup for the race.

“We're starting to up that ante of what's going on when it comes to being able to have private networks merging with public networks,” said Cheney. “We're really taking a giant leap forward with our partners in doing private wireless 5G that will actually start to take over our regular COFDM RF.”

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission is moving to investigate certain 5G and satellite spectrum held by EchoStar and its satellite-TV subsidiary, Dish.

The move is a potentially serious blow to EchoStar’s plans to reinvent itself as a wireless company as its pay TV operations continue to lose subscribers. News of the investigation pushed EchoStar’s stock down in Tuesday trading.

As part of the effort, the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau issued a public notice seeking additional comment on a petition for reconsideration of the FCC’s decision last year to grant EchoStar an extension of the construction deadlines for certain of its licenses as part of its 5G network buildout.

In addition, the Space Bureau established SB Docket No. 25-173 to seek comment on EchoStar’s use of the 2,000-2,020 MHz (Earth-to-space) and 2,180-2,200 MHz (space-to-Earth) (2 GHz bands) for mobile-satellite service (MSS).

EchoStar pushed back with a statement from Chairman Charlie Ergen saying, “Today, we are proud to have invested tens of billions to deploy the world’s largest 5G Open RAN network—primarily using American vendors—across 24,000 5G sites, to offer broadband service to over 268 million people nationwide.”

The moves by the FCC to reconsider EchoStar’s 5G and satellite spectrum came after The Wall Street Journal reported that FCC chair Brendan Carr sent a letter to Ergen saying “I have asked the FCC’s staff to take several steps regarding spectrum licenses that your companies hold.”

“I have directed agency staff to begin a review of EchoStar’s compliance with its federal obligations to provide 5G service throughout the United States per the terms of its federal spectrum licenses,” Carr wrote to Ergen.

In the letter Carr, accused EchoStar of not complying with its obligations to build out its 5G network to at least 70% of the population in its licensed geographical areas by June 14, 2025. Instead, Carr contended: “EchoStar negotiated behind closed doors during the previous Administration in September 2024. Under the terms of that bureau-level decision, EchoStar would no longer have to meet the June 2025 buildout obligations—meaning, its commitment to provide 5G to a broad swath of America. Nor would EchoStar have to face the agreed-upon consequences for failing to do so. Instead, EchoStar would generally kick the can down the road while agreeing to buildout milestones for some major-market licenses by December 2024, along with other commitments.”

In the letter, Carr also detailed some examples of how EchoStar had failed to meet its obligations in building out its network.

Carr has been previously vocal about his desire to expand 5G spectrum and his dissatisfaction with how EchoStar has used its spectrum during a recent interview at the Milken Institute.

EchoStar has also come under fire from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which filed a letter with the FCC saying: “Despite years of false promises and dubious technical showings, new data confirms what most people already suspected—Dish Network barely uses the AWS-4 band, if it is used at all, to provide 5G or any other service to American consumers. After extensive consumer complaints about the difficulties of signing up for Dish’s mobile service, recent spectrum analysis now explains why: Dish barely uses the spectrum. While Dish has already written off the satellites that justified its licenses in the first place, new measurements show that Dish uses less than 5% of what would be expected from an actual wireless network operator. This data is the starkest example yet of why the Commission must swiftly recognize that Dish has left this valuable midband spectrum chronically underused and take steps to welcome new satellite entrants who will finally put this spectrum to use to serve the American people.”

Elon Musk has long battled with Ergen over EchoStar’s spectrum, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In response to the FCC’s investigation, EchoStar chairman Ergen said: “We have worked collaboratively with FCC leaders since we launched our first DBS satellite more than 30 years ago. Today, we are proud to have invested tens of billions to deploy the world’s largest 5G Open RAN network—primarily using American vendors—across 24,000 5G sites, to offer broadband service to over 268 million people nationwide. Through this deployment, which is possible thanks to scores of tower climbers, engineers and partners, we have met or exceeded all of the commitments we have entered into with the FCC to date. And our work is not yet finished as we continue to deploy and invest in our network. Not only does our network create American jobs and a competitive alternative to incumbent wireless carriers, it also furthers another critical Trump administration priority: Deploying Open RAN to ensure the United States is at the forefront of wireless leadership and that our infrastructure is free of Chinese vendors.”

SEATTLE—T-Mobile has announced that it set a new uplink speed record of 550 Mbps in sub-6 GHz spectrum using cutting-edge 5G Advanced tech.

The live demo with Nokia and MediaTek took place in a real commercial site in Seattle. The demo was the first in the world to set a speed record using Release 17 UL Tx Switching.

The news is notable because the broadband industry has traditionally focused on download speeds. But, as future applications become more interactive, real time and cloud connected, uplink speeds become increasingly important.

Potential customers for offerings with very fast upload speeds include content creation and gaming.

“Everyone obsesses over download speed, but at T-Mobile we see what’s coming, and uplink is the next big thing,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, president of Technology, T-Mobile. “Whether you’re uploading 4K video, gaming in real time or powering a VR headset, this record shows that T-Mobile is already building the network for that future and focused on bringing the best customer experience.”

T-Mobile achieved this record-breaking 5G Advanced uplink speed by implementing the 3GPP Release 17 UL Tx Switching feature. This feature provides smart multiplexing to maximize user throughput on the available device Tx chains by optimizing use of UL Carrier Aggregation and UL MIMO for TDD and FDD spectrum.

“It’s significantly more challenging for carriers to enhance data speeds in the uplink — from a mobile device back to the network — compared to boosting downlink speeds. This is precisely what makes this achievement so impressive. As demand continues to rise for AI, XR and video uploads, exceptional uplink performance will become essential,” said Tommi Uitto, president of Mobile Networks at Nokia. “Our partnership with T-Mobile keeps growing stronger, fueling innovation, shaping the network of the future and delivering extraordinary experiences to T-Mobile’s customers.”

T-Mobile used 100MHz of TDD spectrum (n41) and 35MHz of FDD spectrum (n25) in its live network demonstration to achieve the record-breaking 550 Mbps total speed. The test was conducted using a MediaTek smartphone flagship test device with an integrated M90 modem.

“This groundbreaking 550 Mbps uplink speed achievement, using 5G Advanced features, is a thrilling example of the innovation that can take place when we work together,” said HC Hwang, general manager of wireless communication system and partnership at MediaTek. “This milestone, a result of collaboration with T-Mobile, marks a significant leap forward for immersive VR and AR experiences, enabling creators and consumers to seamlessly interact, stream and share content with unparalleled real-time responsiveness.”

T-Mobile set a record of 275 Mbps in 2022, breaking it with 345 Mbps in early 2024 using Release 16 UL Tx Switching, and this year, surpassing 500 Mbps with Release 17.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau is seeking public comment on a Petition for Rulemaking from HC2 Broadcasting Holdings asking it to allow low-power television (LPTV) stations to use the 5G Broadcast transmission standard as an alternative to the currently authorized ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0.

HC2, which owns and operates more than 250 LPTV stations nationwide, filed the request March 28. Filings can be made at MB Docket No. 25-168.

As previously reported, HC2 Broadcasting is asking the FCC to approve the standard for LPTV stations so they could opt to move to an all-datacasting model.

HC2 last year asked the commission to allow two Connecticut LPTVs to conduct experimental 5G Broadcast transmissions. The FCC approved the first experimental 5G Broadcast station—Milachi Media’s WWOO-LD Boston—in 2023. HC2 has been working with XGN Networks, a startup led by CEO “SuperFrank” Copsidas, to allow broadcasters to adopt 5G Broadcast as a voluntary alternative to ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV, which was approved by the FCC in 2017 and is currently available to about 76% of U.S. TV households.

In seeking comment, the FCC noted that 5G Broadcast is a global standard approved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an international standards-setting organization.

The technology allows an LPTV station to transmit a single 5G signal and be received by any compatible mobile device within its service area. The petition proposes that the 5G Broadcast standard be incorporated into the commission’s rules and authorized on a voluntary basis by LPTV stations. To the extent that an LPTV station may qualify for mandatory carriage, HC2 proposes that such stations would be ineligible for 5G Broadcast operations in order to minimize any potential burdens on MVPDs, the FCC said.

Comments are due June 2, while reply comments are due on July 1.

At this week's 2025 NAB show, Verizon Business is showing what it is calling “a first-of-its-kind mobile Private 5G Network framework” featuring a portable, environmentally controlled setup that will allow broadcasters to manage complex productions.

The solution, which is being demoed by Verizon Business (Booth W#2530) during the show, is designed to help broadcasters face the challenge of managing dozens of camera feeds during a live event while constantly struggling with location-based connectivity.

The mobile environmentally controlled setup is built on NVIDIA accelerated computing, including NVIDIA AI Enterprise and NVIDIA Holoscan for Media. These solutions provide intelligent video prioritization for live production using AI to manage numerous camera feeds and highlight key moments, the companies reported.

Verizon had previously announced it would partner with NVIDIA to manage and power 5G workloads.

The combined mobile framework can be deployed to leverage different types of spectrum, including C-band, CBRS, and millimeter wave.

Verizon reported that the Verizon mobile framework came to life with key partners including FanDuel TV, Haivision, and Ericsson.

"Live content production and experiential events are evolving rapidly, demanding innovative approaches to content creation, distribution, and fan engagement,” said Daniel Lawson, senior vice president of global solutions, Verizon Business. “We are demonstrating at NAB 2025 how our Private 5G Network, coupled with Enterprise AI solutions, enables more efficient, cost-effective broadcast workflows. Our first-of-its-kind mobile framework is a testament to our commitment to innovation and our dedication to providing cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving demands of the industry.”

During the show, Verizon also reported that it will have a strong presence on panels and sessions, including:

• Saturday, April 5, 12 p.m. PT, at the NAB Main Stage, Verizon’s Daniel Lawson, SVP, Global Solutions will deliver the Opening Remarks for the 2025 Devoncroft Executive Summit
• Monday, April 7, 12 p.m. PT, at W222-W223, ErinRose Widner, Global Head of Business Strategy, Media & Entertainment, Verizon Business will lead a panel: AI on Location: Deploying Private Networks and Edge Compute for Next Gen Production Workflows’
• Monday, April 7, 2 p.m. PT, at W1768 Theater 1, Tim Stevens, Global Leader of Strategic Innovation, Verizon Business will discuss ‘Unplugging Sports: The Private Wireless Revolution’

WASHINGTON—FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has called for new spectrum auctions for wireless mobile as well as revisiting rules regulating TV loudness.

In a blog posted on Wednesday, the new chairman outlined his plans for the first FCC meeting scheduled for Feb. 27 and cited the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene to advocate for expanded wireless spectrum availability, particularly for first responders.

“Last Friday, I took my first official trip as FCC Chairman, visiting parts of North Carolina that were hit hard by Hurricane Helene,” Carr said. “I met with 911 operators who handled a sixfold surge in calls during the peak of the storm, first responders who led rescue and recovery efforts, telecom workers who quickly restored communications in difficult conditions, and local broadcasters who provided vital information to their communities. These visits only underscored the importance of robust, resilient, and affordable connectivity for Americans across the country. That is why we are taking action right out of the gate to get more spectrum into the hands of consumers—spectrum that can power new connections and innovations.”

To address these deficiencies, Carr said the commission will be “laser-focused on accelerating efforts that can get more spectrum into the marketplace. “

Carr characterizes the auction of AWS-3 spectrum licences—a band of RF used primarily for mobile broadband and public safety—as a “win-win.” He said he hopes to “kick-start” the process this month to complete it by June 23, 2026.

“It brings new spectrum into play for commercial use,” he said. “And the proceeds from this auction will also cover the costs of the national security initiative known as ‘rip and replace’—an effort that is removing untrustworthy technology, like Huawei and ZTE gear, from networks.”

In a move sure to get the attention of broadcasters, Carr also called for opening up additional portions of the C-band spectrum for 5G. Used mostly by TV and radio broadcasters for satellite downlinks, broadcasters have opposed efforts to expand usage of C-band over concerns of interference, particularly for ENG.

Carr hasn't been shy in advocating for more spectrum auctions. At last year’s Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) annual meeting, Carr suggested that auctioning off additional broadcast spectrum would be on the block.

Carr also said the commission plans to vote on final rules to give emergency managers and consumers greater flexibility when it comes to Wireless Emergency Alerts, in particular, deciding when to issue alerts strategically in order to avoid so-called “alert fatigue” (aka “Boy Who Cried Wolf” syndrome).

Carr also said he will revisit the CALM Act, which was passed by Congress 15 years ago to require broadcasters to work with MVPDs to reduce the volume on TV commercials.

“Loud TV commercials are a frustrating headache,” Carr wrote. “You’re sitting there, chilling out, and then BOOM some commercial breaks in at a high volume. I don’t like them, and I’m pretty sure you don’t either. In fact, the FCC has recently seen an uptick in consumer complaints about excessively loud commercials.

“Back in 2010, Congress passed a law to address this issue, but given the rise in complaints I think now is the time for the FCC to revisit the issue,” he added. “Accordingly, we will consider a notice of proposed rulemaking to see if there are additional actions the Commission could take today to make sure TV viewers aren’t inundated by exceedingly loud commercials.”

WUPPERTAL, Germany—Riedel Communications has announced the acquisition of MECSware, a leading specialist in Private 5G technologies, and the launch of the private 5G network solution Easy5G.

Developed in collaboration with MECSware, Riedel said that Easy5G will revolutionize 5G usage in dynamic environments like live events, remote productions, and industrial facilities by offering unmatched flexibility, simplicity, and rapid deployment.

Established in 2015 by Dr. Torsten Musiol, MECSware develops and supplies easy-to-deploy and easy-to-operate 4G/5G system solutions for private networks. As part of the acquisition, MECSware will join the Riedel Group, but will remain an independent company.

“Private 5G networks were often impractical for dynamic or temporary applications like live events and remote productions due to their complexity and lack of flexibility,” said Thomas Riedel, founder and CEO of the Riedel Group. “In MECSware, we found the perfect partner to help us overcome these obstacles for our customers, and I am more than happy to welcome Torsten and his team to the Riedel family. The first fruits of our shared labor are nothing short of a breakthrough, as Easy5G’s debut delivers both the reliable, high-capacity upload connections and the flexibility required for media and event productions.”

Dr. Torsten Musiol, CEO, MECSware, added: “We are thrilled to be joining forces with Riedel, which will open up exciting new applications for our technologies all across the globe.”

Easy5G redefines private 5G deployment by combining Wi-Fi-like simplicity with the robustness of carrier-grade systems, the companies reported. With only a handful of setup parameters, the system can be operational in under 60 minutes, cutting deployment time by weeks compared to traditional networks. In addition, no specialized 5G expertise or dark fiber is needed; Easy5G can be managed by general IT personnel using a standard switch infrastructure.

Unlike public 5G services that often struggle during productions and events with high user density, Easy5G operates on dedicated network frequencies, ensuring superior reliability and performance. Its modular design pairs MECSware’s advanced Mobile Edge Cloud Server (MECS) with small-cell base stations, ensuring flexibility and scalability for a wide range of applications from wireless communication to live video transmission, Riedel explained.

“Our partnership with MECSware exemplifies how we harness cutting-edge technologies to enhance our ecosystem and deliver unmatched value to our customers,” said Jaqueline Voß, executive director, strategy and innovation, at Riedel Communications. “It not only bolsters our Managed Technology division but also paves the way for future product innovations – the possibilities for this technology are virtually endless.”

Easy5G’s integration capabilities seamlessly link to Riedel’s MediorNet and Artist ecosystems, adding a reliable wireless IP layer for audio, video, and data workflows.

Visitors to ISE 2025 in Barcelona can experience a live demonstration of Easy5G at the Riedel Communications booth #5A300.

Further information about Riedel and the company's products is available at www.riedel.net.

The media and entertainment landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by emerging technologies that are redefining how content is created, delivered, and consumed. As we look ahead, several key technologies are set to have a major impact on the industry.

5G: The Foundation for Innovation
5G's incredible speeds and low latency will usher in a new era of individualized experiences. From real-time interactions and personalized content to extended reality (XR) applications that blend the physical and digital worlds, 5G will reshape audience engagement with content. Consumer device manufacturers are focused on untethered connectivity with personalized experiences.

AI and Machine Learning: Powering Content Creation
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are poised to revolutionize content production and consumption. By automating tasks, analyzing viewer preferences, and generating curated recommendations, these technologies will empower media companies to deliver bespoke experiences that truly resonate with viewers.

Additionally, AI-driven tools will streamline content creation processes, enabling the rapid development of highlights, summaries, and other content formats tailored to specific audience segments. Think about a shift from one piece of content for everyone’s consumption to unique content for specific segments, down to the individual consumer.

Extended Reality (XR): Transforming the Viewer Experience
XR, encompassing virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), will continue to redefine how we experience media and entertainment. From attending virtual concerts and sporting events, to airline flights with custom XR experiences, to interacting with digital elements that enhance live performances, XR will create unprecedented levels of immersion and engagement outside the home.

The 5G Stadium: A New Era for Fans
5G will also revolutionize the live event experience. In stadiums, fans will enjoy seamless streaming, instant replays from various angles, and interactive experiences such as real-time stats and player perspectives.

AR overlays will provide real-time player information and historical context, enriching the viewing experience and opening up new avenues for fan engagement. Furthermore, 5G will enable connectivity for a wider array of devices, amplifying the overall stadium experience.

Edge Computing: Real-Time Content, Everywhere
Edge computing benefits from the inflection point where bandwidth and throughput have become ubiquitous. It is the combination of low-latency, server in the cell approach that enables data processing closer to the origin, that facilitates real-time content creation and delivery with almost no delays.

This will empower creators to provide live, high-quality experiences to audiences irrespective of their location. For venues and retailers, edge computing will also enhance wayfinding and other location-based services, elevating the customer experience.

Personalization and Immersion: The Future of Media
As consumer expectations continue to rise, media and entertainment companies are adapting to the growing demand for personalized, immersive experiences.

By harnessing the power of 5G and other emerging technologies, they can deliver tailored content and craft interactive environments that cater to individual preferences. From AR-powered wayfinding in retail spaces to VR experiences that transport fans to the sidelines of their favorite sporting events, the possibilities are boundless.

Connectivity is moving outside of the tethered cell phone to direct connected 5G-enabled high end IoT devices, the still camera, video camera, televisions, over the top playout devices, health wearables, real-time coaching, and many more that will come to market.

The future of media and entertainment is being shaped by rapid technological advancements. It’s becoming a story about interactivity and personalization, not just consumption of content. 5G, AI, XR, and edge computing are just a few of the technologies that are set to redefine the industry in the coming years.

It is the two-way nature of connectivity that enables this transformation and new market opportunity. By embracing these innovations, media companies can deliver captivating experiences that meet the evolving expectations of today's consumers.

BELLEVUE, Wash.—T-Mobile is further expanding its advertising business with the announcement that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Vistar Media, a leading provider of technology solutions for digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertisements reaching millions of consumers.

More specifically the company’s T-Mobile Advertising Solutions business will acquire all of Vistar’s ad tech solutions and capabilities, including its intelligent marketplace and technology solutions for buying, selling and managing media campaigns across a global network of more than 1.1 million digital screens provided by nearly 370 OOH media owners and serving more than 3,000 brand partner advertisers.

T-Mobile will pay approximately $600 million in cash for Vistar, subject to closing adjustments., the carrier reported. The transaction is expected to close in first-quarter 2025, subject to the satisfaction of closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

eMarketer is forecasting that DOOH ad spending in 2025 will account for over one-third of the nearly $10 billion spent on OOH advertising in the U.S.

In announcing the deal, T-Mobile said that the combination of Vistar’s end-to-end ad-tech platform and scale and T-Mobile’s unique customer insights and data will help transform the DOOH business in a variety of ways.

As a top marketer, connectivity provider and one of the largest physical in-store retail media network operators, the combined solutions will allow marketers and advertisers to reach consumers with more addressable and measurable solutions, delivering greater efficiency and ROI, while enhancing the consumer experience with more meaningful and engaging content.

“T-Mobile is always envisioning new ways to deliver for consumers and we see a tremendous opportunity to provide more relevant and personalized advertising,” said JP Colaco, senior vice president and chief T-Ads officer, T-Mobile. “Combining T-Mobile’s customer-centric approach and its expertise as one of the nation’s most scaled marketers, with Vistar’s leading out-of-home technology means advertisers can easily place their ads where they know their audience will be, improving every step of the customer journey. Together with Vistar, T-Mobile will deliver advertising solutions built by marketers, for marketers.”

“We are excited to join T-Mobile, a brand that truly understands the power and potential of out-of-home advertising,” Michael Provenzano, CEO and co-founder of Vistar Media, said. “For 13 years, Vistar has pioneered using technology and data to transform OOH into a strategic and measurable channel. T-Mobile’s belief in the future of OOH - and their decision to acquire Vistar underscores the strength of this channel. Together, we have the opportunity to enhance our offerings for customers and partners globally, and inspire brands to think bigger and redefine how they engage with audiences in the real world.”

Allen & Co. is serving as T-Mobile’s financial adviser on the transaction with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton serving as T-Mobile’s legal counsel. Global investment bank, Canaccord Genuity, advised Vistar Media on the transaction, with Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Serving as Vistar Media’s legal counsel.

SEATTLE—Amazon Web Services (AWS) said Comcast has moved its 5G wireless core from an on-premise infrastructure to a cloud-based network using its technologies.

The new cloud-based network is designed to provide Xfinity Mobile and Comcast Business Mobile customers with next-generation 5G wireless services using Comcast’s licensed spectrum across the U.S.

The two companies said AWS’s global infrastructure and telecom automation framework is helping Comcast provide wireless customers with an even more scalable, secure and cost-effective service.

AWS technologies, including analytics, telecom-specific features, and continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), provide a platform that enables Comcast to innovate and deploy new features, autoscale network capacity and perform lifecycle management, the companies added.

Looking ahead, Comcast and AWS also said they are exploring new ways to work together to improve customer service, optimize network performance and automate additional 5G operations.

“AWS’s extensive cloud infrastructure, together with their understanding of telco network requirements and ability to support production-grade 5G networks, will help us to continue delivering the highest quality service to our wireless customers,” said Tom Nagel, executive vice president, wireless strategy at Comcast.

Jan Hofmeyr, vice president of Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) Edge at AWS, said: Moving Comcast’s 5G core to the cloud will enable greater resiliency, faster innovation and enhanced security, leveraging AWS's secure global cloud infrastructure. We’re excited to work with Comcast to power this state-of-the-art 5G network that will give their customers a better wireless experience, as well as meet the needs of future applications running in this new environment.”

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., —EchoStar, which hopes to sell its pay TV operations to DirecTV, continued to hemorrhage subscribers in its third-quarter earnings report, with its Dish TV satellite-TV service losing about 188,000 customers.

But Sling TV, its virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD), gained 145,000 subscribers. That put EchoStar’s total pay TV losses at 43,000 subs in Q3, a slight improvement over the 65,000 total video losses it sustained in the year-ago period. Sling TV subscriber growth also represented an improvement over Q3 of 2023, when it gained 117,000 subs.

The subscriber counts are important because they could impact the proposed sales of Dish's pay TV assets to DirecTV and because EchoStar needs the cash from its pay TV operations to help fund its buildout of 5G services.

The company closed the third quarter with 8.03 million pay-TV subscribers, including 5.89 million Dish TV customers and 2.14 million Sling TV households. This decrease in net pay-TV subscriber losses resulted from higher net Sling TV subscriber additions in the third quarter compared to the year-ago quarter and a lower Dish TV churn rate, offset by lower gross new Dish TV subscriber activations, EchoStar said.

Overall, EchoStar reported total revenue of $11.86 billion for the nine months ended Sept. 30, down from $12.85 billion in the year-ago period. Net loss attributable to EchoStar in the first three quarters of 2024 was $454.78 million, a significant decline from a year ago, when it had net income of $327.83 million. Diluted loss per share was $1.67, compared to earnings per share of $1.06 in the year-ago period.

Consolidated operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) totaled $1.23 billion for the nine months ended Sept. 30, compared to $1.69 billion in the year-ago period. That decline is notable because EchoStar hopes to use its cash to fund its pivot to 5G.

Retail wireless subscribers, excluding Affordable Connectivity Program subscribers, increased by about 62,000 in the third quarter. The company closed the third quarter with 6.98 million retail wireless subscribers.

However, retail wireless subscribers decreased by about 297,000 in the third quarter, compared to a decrease of 225,000 a year ago. EchoStar’s wireless losses were up due to net losses of ACP and other government-subsidized subscribers, mainly due to the ACP program concluding on June 1.

The company closed Q3 with 912,000 broadband satellite subscribers, down about 43,000 for the quarter, compared to 59,000 in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in net broadband satellite subscriber losses was primarily due to the new EchoStar XXIV (Jupiter 3) satellite service launch and increased subscriber demand for new satellite service plans.

The third quarter was negatively impacted by the ACP program funding concluding on June 1, EchoStar said.

MUMBAI, India, and BALTIMORE—Sinclair and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have signed a memorandum of understanding on technology and standards development collaboration supporting wireless broadcast services via next-generation telecom and broadcast networks.

They will focus on researching ways to enhance ATSC 3.0 for various mobile, TV and other fixed applications in a way that benefits India and the world, Sinclair said.

The new 3.0 capabilities aim to advance Broadcast-to-Everything (B2X) use cases to provide dynamic traffic management and fast interworking with 5G networks, efficient spectrum use, low-latency datacasting, edge content distribution and improved battery life for smartphones, feature phones, wearables and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, it said.

“We are excited to partner with Sinclair in wireless telecom transformation and promote academic excellence, joint projects and joint intellectual property development, including Make in India initiatives to drive B2X adoption in India,” Shireesh Kedare, professor and director of IIT Bombay, said. “It touches IIT Bombay’s mission to address the needs of society and country at large and develop technologies and products that improve the quality of life for both urban and rural population.”

ATSC members currently are at work on B2X standardization, and IIT Bombay—a new member—will contribute directly to that work.

Broadcast-to-Everything is seen as a way of helping India relieve wireless-network congestion. The nation has more than 1 billion mobile subscribers, almost 250 million TV households and high per capita mobile data consumption. At the same time, it is witnessing a proliferation of live news, sports and popular linear-TV and radio channels. B2X addresses network congestion, providing a high quality of service for concurrent and popular content and a means to promote sustainability, Sinclair said.

B2X improves upon direct-to-mobile (D2M) and extends broadcast into the IMT-2030 (6G) ecosystem, it said.

“ATSC 3.0’s high bandwidth efficiency and time and frequency interleaving features make it undisputedly the best mobile broadcast standard,” Mark Aitken, senior vice president at Sinclair, said. “ATSC 3.0 also stands alone with its bootstrap ‘blanking’ feature that facilitates the introduction of B2X release enhancements without disrupting the operation of earlier releases.”

Longer-term, B2X can advance emergency and disaster management, remote education and skill development, advanced agricultural methods, service resilience, augmentation of satellite positioning and timing, vehicular communications and OpenAI-based applications for broadcasting and datacasting, Sinclair said.

“We consider the collaboration work with IIT Bombay to be of the utmost importance in establishing ATSC 3.0-based B2X as the preferred technology for broadcasting and multicasting for diverse applications, not just in India, but ultimately across the globe. Sinclair is proud to have IIT Bombay reinforce our foundational role in advancing next generation broadcast,” said Sinclair president and CEO Chris Ripley said.

ATSC president Madeliene Noland lauded news of the MoU, noting ITT Bombay is joining “other world-class academic and research institutions as ATSC’s newest member.”

Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati, IIT Bombay alumnus and member of the ATSC Business Advisory Council, noted the recent success of ATSC 3.0 in Brazil and the opportunity B2X offers to advance broadcasting’s role in serving the public.

“The recent decision by Brazil to adopt the ATSC 3.0 standard for broadcast services, based on extensive testing of multiple systems, paves the way for B2X to further advance the standard’s broadcast resilience for the greater public good,” he said. “This collaboration furthers the developmental goals of a Viksit Bharat (Developed Bharat) as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

More information is available on the Sinclair and ITT Bombay websites.

BELLEVUE, Wash.—T-Mobile said that working with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies, it has broken another world record with its 5G standalone (SA) network reaching peak uplink speeds of over 2.2 Gigabits per second.

The test is an important development for broadcast crews needing fast uplink speeds to send content from sports venues, T-Mobile said.

The speeds were achieved by leveraging an emerging feature called New Radio Dual Connectivity (5G DC). With 5G DC, T-Mobile was able to massively increase uplink throughput and capacity, reaching peak speeds of 2.2 Gbps in a demo that demonstrates the technology’s potential to create serious efficiencies in how data is transmitted from devices to the network, the companies said.

5G DC enabled T-Mobile to aggregate 2.5 GHz and mmWave spectrum, allowing for a massive improvement in uplink throughput and capacity. In this test, T-Mobile was able to allocate 60% of the mmWave radio resources for uplink, whereas previous use cases typically allowed up to 20%. The test was completed on T-Mobile’s 5G SA production network in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with equipment and 5G DC solution from Ericsson and a mobile test smartphone powered by a flagship Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System from Qualcomm.

“With 5G DC, T-Mobile is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to create better experiences in the places that matter most to our customers,” T-Mobile President of Technology Ulf Ewaldsson said. “This accomplishment is a testament to the network we’ve built over the last five years and our ability to deliver unparalleled capabilities that extend beyond the devices in our pockets.”

Download speeds typically reign as the top network performance metric, but with recent strides in uplink capabilities and increasingly demanding tasks, upload speed is becoming more important than ever, especially for live events, mobile gaming and extended reality applications, the companies said.

Because of this, SoFi Stadium served as the perfect test site for 5G DC. Every year, millions of people flock to the stadium for football games or to catch their favorite artists in concert. Naturally, all these people want to post, livestream and share their experiences in real time, which can sometimes be a challenge at crowded events with limited capacity.

In addition, broadcast crews need the capacity to upload high-definition content to production teams in real time. With 5G DC and T-Mobile, all of this gets done faster than ever, alleviating posting FOMO and production crew headaches.

“High uplink speeds are essential for delivering immersive experiences and reliable 5G connectivity,” Ericsson Head of Product, Area Networks Mårten Lerner said. “This mirrors one of our key objectives with the recent launch of Ericsson 5G Advanced, which is to elevate user experience by enhancing network performance for more interactive applications. This 5G uplink speed milestone, achieved with T-Mobile and Qualcomm, underscores our commitment to taking user experience to unprecedented levels.”

Added Qualcomm Vice President, Product Management Sunil Patil: “We are incredibly proud to achieve yet another world record with T-Mobile. This groundbreaking achievement shows what could be possible with 5G DC and how it can bring new, unparalleled experiences to consumers, especially at large events like football games and concerts. We will continue our close collaboration with global innovators like T-Mobile and Ericsson to push the boundaries and unlock the full potential of 5G.”

It’s been five years now since the wireless carriers began rolling out 5G connectivity. Claims—sometimes exaggerated—about its possibilities were rampant then, including better steering of scalpels in robotic surgeries, downloading of HD feature-length movies in milliseconds, alleviating traffic jams and obsoleting human control of automobiles.

Not all of these glowing promises have come to fruition, and only time will tell if they ever will. One thing about 5G is certain, though, and that’s its much-less-hyped impact on TV broadcasters and content producers. Although bonded-cellular video transmission arrived a decade ahead of 5G’s rollout and has done a lot in terms of freeing remote telecasts from conventional connectivity, broadcasters—in general—agree that this fifth iteration of wireless broadband is living up to the promises that accompanied it.

What It Brings to the Table
“We have spoken for several years now about the impact that 5G has made to bonded cellular,” said Dan Pisarski, chief technology officer at LiveU. “A key example is what is called ‘deterministic latency,’ where the changes in the in-air protocol called ‘New Radio,’ or ‘NR,’ in 5G, use a much more fixed latency compared to LTE [long term evolution, a term used to describe earlier broadband wireless technology].

Pisarski observed that 5G’s utilization of new spectrum allocations provides “a much more complete workflow for users,” allowing such enhancements as two-way intercom capability, video return feeds, robotic camera control and more.

“This ensures that a team deployed with a LiveU unit is a full-capability remote team, communicating, reviewing and interacting with remote management—not just ‘shooting video,’ ” he said.

A notable example of how 5G is impacting live sports coverage happened last summer when NBC Sports was able to add more 5G cameras to more holes at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington, site of the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. This was due to the scalability of T-Mobile’s 5G portable private network, according to Chris Melus, vice president of product management at T-Mobile’s Business Group.

“Broadcasters loved that they could get super-fast, fiber-like speeds without the wires,” he said, adding that 5G can provide “glass-to-glass latency that averages under 100 milliseconds, enabling full-4K 60 fps resolution.”

As an added bonus at the tourney, T-Mobile also rolled out another 5G-based enhancement for spectators in the form of real-time player data delivered to smartphones. The app provided such information as radar trajectory of golf shots, 3D imagery, views of greens and more. “Broadcasters have found tremendous value in the ability to integrate 5G into their remote production suite of tools because of 5G’s ability to efficiently bring fans more high-quality content without the burden of wires,” Melus added.

5G at the Olympics
5G also made a big splash at the Paris Summer Olympics, allowing broadcasters to provide coverage of events in ways that would not have been possible previously, and taking both in-person and video spectator enjoyment to new heights.

5G was key for France.tv to be able to cover the torch relay across 1,600 kilometers (about 1,000 miles) of France from May to July, according to Matt McEwen, vice president of product at TVU Networks.

“In the past, a large-scale moving event like this would have required helicopters and planes to receive and relay the video signals being captured by the mobile cameras,” he said. “Utilizing both public and private 5G infrastructure allowed France.tv to transmit the mobile signal without aerial support, saving 92% of the typical costs. If such a workflow were not possible, France.tv simply would not have been able to produce nine weeks of live torch relay coverage due to budget constraints.”

“5G has absolutely transformed how we now cover large-scale events like the Summer Games in Paris,” said Sukhvir Grewal, sales account manager at Dejero. “These events demand real-time, high-quality coverage from multiple locations and angles. With 5G’s higher bandwidth and lower latency it’s possible to deliver a better viewer experience even more seamlessly.”

In recalling coverage of the event’s opening ceremonies, which took place along a 6-kilometer (about 4-mile) portion of the River Seine, Jim Jachetta, chief technology officer at VidOvation, observed that 5G made all the difference in capturing close-up footage of athletes aboard the scores of boats.

“Olympic Broadcasting Services, in partnership with Haivision, utilized over 200 Samsung S24 Ultra smartphones equipped with Haivision’s MoJoPro mobile camera apps … [to provide] HDR video feeds via a dedicated 5G network supported by 12 5G cells mounted on bridges,” he said.

Jachetta added that history was made in coverage of another water event, the Marseille sailing competitions. “A standout achievement was the creation of the world’s first sea-based private 5G network,” said Jachetta. “This network, which featured 5G antennas on large catamarans, enabled live video transmission from rapidly moving boats. The 5G network’s flexibility allowed it to adapt to various sailing courses, ensuring uninterrupted coverage of the sailing events regardless of the boats’ location.”

Is It Really All That?
Since its introduction, bonded cellular has been quietly displacing conventional microwave and satellite links to deliver news and other live feeds. When the first bonded-cellular gear appeared, 4G (with anticipated data rates of perhaps 100 Mbps), was just beginning to roll out, and 3G with its low Mbps (or even high Kbps) throughput was still the norm.

Fast forward to 2024 and the availability of 5G networks across most of the United States has greatly expanded, with about 60% of the population within the reach of a 5G signal. We asked several broadcasters if it was really making a difference in their field operations. The answers were something of a mixed bag.

“I can’t say I’ve noticed a difference between 4G and 5G,” said Pete Sockett, Capitol Broadcasting’s director of engineering and operations, who is based in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, area. “It may have helped some with connectivity, but it’s hard to say.”

Dan Wilson, chief engineer at WPSD-TV Paducah, Kentucky, had a different response. “Since we switched to 5G, we’re able to get shots that we could never get before,” he said. “With 5G it’s even better and easier to get shots. Before 5G, the shots might pixelate and a reliable transmission was ‘iffy.’ Once 5G hit, that went away.”

Wilson noted that his station was still getting used to 5G, as it’s only been available in the Paducah area for the past half-year or so. He also commented on the impact 5G’s reduced latency was having on WPSD’s remote operations.

“The low latency is even better than I thought possible,” he added. “We’d gotten accustomed to a minimum three-second delay. Now it’s a second-and-a-half or even just a second. This has gotten us almost back to analog microwave days in terms of delay. It’s a real game-changer.”

David Ostmo, San Antonio, Texas-based regional engineering director for Sinclair Broadcast Group, noted that while 5G has perhaps increased the comfort level in bringing in remotes via bonded cellular, it hasn’t been a complete panacea.

“We were making pretty extensive use of LiveU technology prior to the 5G rollout,” said Ostmo. “It may be a little more comfortable trusting a football game to 5G than to 4G. We’re always concerned about a secondary link with microwave or satellite at an important event. We’ve lost live shots at large events using only bonded cellular. There was a strong signal when we were testing, but then the video was poor with pixelation when we went on the air.”

He noted that in this respect, 5G has made things better. “Where it is available, we get a more robust connection and better throughput,” he said, adding that 5G was also enabling more elaborate field productions than could be undertaken before its deployment.

What About Trucks?
Ostmo noted also that while his organization had eliminated some of its conventional microwave and satellite trucks, he felt that it was important to retain a backup to cellular, despite the claims made for 5G. “We need the ability to broadcast after a large natural disaster such as a hurricane or tornado, and cellular networks could be destroyed,” he said. “This is especially in tornado- or hurricane-prone areas.”

Ostmo observed that as microwave or satellite trucks “age out” and are retired, there will always be a need for microwave and two-way radio linkage from the field that’s independent of common carriers.

Perhaps the biggest problem with 5G right now, according to Ostmo—whose responsibility extends over Sinclair stations spread over several states in the south-central portion of the U.S.—is lack of solid coverage.

“Where it’s available, we get a more robust connection and better throughput,” he said. “But it’s not available everywhere. In San Antonio, there’s good coverage in the city and not-so-good coverage as you go further out. There’s not any advantage in Nebraska.”

In remarks to the 6G Symposium, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks noted that the 6G “network evolution presents opportunity on an enormous scale” while warning that he is “clear-eyed about the very real and complex challenges we face. Challenges that could threaten our collective vision of a more connected and prosperous 6G ecosystem.”

Those challenges include the lapse in the FCC's authority to conduct auctions that would free up spectrum for 6G deployments and need to develop technologies and strategies that would "make 6G our most energy efficient generation yet."

“What happens over the next 18 to 24 months will be critical for 6G," he said. "So we need a concerted strategy for overcoming obstacles and ensuring this rapidly-developing technology reaches its full potential. I believe a successful rollout of 6G holds the promise of a more vibrant economy, sustainable networks, and connect communities.”

Newer 6G technologies will be important for broadcasters and producers because they will provide even more robust networks for content contribution and creation. They could also be used in combination with NextGen TV offerings for datacasting and other services. 

In the Sept. 23 speech, Starks explained that current work on 5G and 5G advanced networks and that a number of industry trends are laying “the cornerstones” for 6G. 

Those include the “immense promise is disaggregation,” he said. “Decoupling the hardware and software functions of network components means they can be sourced from multiple vendors. With a modular stack, network operators will have new flexibility to incorporate products and services that best fit their needs. And, they can swap components or make upgrades quickly and nimbly.”

“There is no doubt that these open platforms are starting to take root; domestically, one nationwide carrier is rolling out a cloud-native Open RAN network, and globally there have been more than 100 Open RAN deployments,” he added. 

Starks stressed that the federal government has been supporting the development and deployment of Open RAN and that “there is a whole-of-government approach well underway to advance this technology. 

“At the FCC, I’m happy to say we’re our part; we recently adopted the 5G Fund, which will include up to $900 million in incentives for Open RAN deployment,” he explained. 

In addition, he noted that “NTIA continues to make decisive progress implementing the $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund supporting the development and deployment of Open RAN networks.”

But he stressed that “these network advances can only do so much if we’re not providing the spectrum they need to operate. And on that front, we face real challenges. As everyone here knows, the FCC has been without auction authority since March 9, 2023. This authority isn’t just foundational to the agency and the development of 6G, it’s foundational to the country as a whole. The Commission’s auction authority drives innovation, enhances competition, and strengthens our national security. Put plainly, auctions help us free up spectrum and put it into the hands of those who value it the most.”

Despite this problem, Starks argued that they are making crucial progress in implementing “the National Spectrum Strategy. Execution of the strategy will serve as a vital down payment on 6G. By taking an all-the-above approach, this plan puts more spectrum on the table than anticipated,  2,786 MHz versus a target of 1,500. It includes a mix of bands, and will support licensed, unlicensed, and shared models -- all tools that will be useful for deployment of 6G networks."

“So while we’ve accomplished much laying the groundwork for the 6G transition, it’s clear there’s more work to be done. Earlier this year, we made some very important progress when the White House forged a broad international consensus on shared principles for the research and development of 6G. This agreement buttressed open, interoperable, and secure connectivity. Leveraging the strength of our shared commitments to market economies and transparency will ensure those values are baked into rather than bolted on to 6G standards. The importance of principles-based agreements like this cannot be overstated. Without them, we risk falling short of 6G’s full potential while exposing ourselves to new risks.”

An illustration of that, is what 6G networks could mean for sustainability and the environment. 

“Like 5G, 6G has the potential to increase our energy efficiency and reduce our emissions in areas like manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation," he said. "But we simply cannot take this for granted. We’ve got to do the hard work. In 2020, the information and communication technology sector was responsible for approximately 4 percent of global energy consumption and approximately 1.4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. As data-rich, high-bandwidth applications enabled by advanced 5G and 6G technologies proliferate, so too will mobile data traffic. GSMA Intelligence predicts that by 2030, mobile data traffic is expected to grow more than fourfold, reaching over 5,400 exabytes.”

This ever growing data traffic as well as the fact that 6G will be the first wireless technology to incorporate AI “will also mean a dramatic rise in the amount of data being generated to train AI models. That will require a massive increase in energy to accommodate the new compute power we’ll need throughout networks.”

This means the industry needs to work to reduce its carbon footprint. 

“We took a step in the right direction with the White House’s international 6G principles agreement which encourages energy-efficient deployments and operation,” he noted. “When I look ahead, I see real promise for new strategies that will make 6G our most energy efficient generation yet. Utilizing micro-sleep techniques, networks can deactivate and reactivate during periods of low activity, conserving energy without impacting user experience. By implementing new waveform designs, networks will adapt more efficiently to different frequency bands, enhancing spectral efficiency and reducing unnecessary energy expenditure. Or dynamic adjustments in the number of active antenna in response to fluctuating traffic loads, allowing for tailored resource allocation based on actual demand. And, of course, all of these techniques could be applied across multiple 6G networks simultaneously through network slicing. Meaning each network slice could be optimized for specific services while minimizing energy consumption based on real-time demands.”

“But as I’ve said, my optimism about the future is clear-eyed,” he concluded “The promise of 6G will only be realized through a collective commitment to our shared values. It will take a concerted push, informed by conferences like this, to keep us on the right path. So, I want to extend an offer to any of you that have ideas about making our networks more efficient – please come and see me.”

A new study from the Dell’Oro Group has found that the slump in telecom equipment sales that started in the second half of 2023 has extended into the first half of 2024. 

Preliminary findings indicate that worldwide telecom equipment revenues across the six telecom programs tracked at Dell’Oro Group—Broadband Access, Microwave & Optical Transport, Mobile Core Network (MCN), Radio Access Network (RAN), and SP Router & Switch—declined 16% year-over-year (Y/Y) in 2Q24, recording a fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit contractions. The researchers reported that abysmal results are prompted by excess inventory, weaker demand in China, challenging 5G comparisons, and elevated uncertainty.

The slowdown was also broad-based in the second quarter of 2024, reflecting slower revenue growth on a year over year in all regions, including North America, EMEA, Asia Pacific, and CALA (Caribbean and Latin America). 

Varied momentum in activity in the first half was particularly significant in China – the total telecom equipment market in China stumbled in the second quarter, declining 17% YoY.

The downward pressure was not confined to a specific technology, and initial readings show that all six telecom programs declined in the second quarter. In addition to the wireless programs (RAN and MCN), which are still impacted by slower 5G deployments, spending on SP Routers fell by a third in 2Q24.

The study found that supplier rankings were mostly unchanged. The top 7 suppliers in 1H24 accounted for 80% of the worldwide telecom equipment market and included Huawei, Nokia, Ericsson, ZTE, Cisco, Ciena, and Samsung. Huawei and ZTE combined gained nearly 3 percentage points of share between 2023 and 1H24.

Supplier positions differ slightly when we exclude the Chinese market. Even with the ongoing efforts by the US government to curb Huawei’s rise, Huawei is still well positioned in the broader telecom equipment market, excluding China, which is up roughly two percentage points relative to 2019 levels.

Even with the second half expected to account for 54% of full-year revenues, the researchers are predicting that market conditions are expected to remain challenging in 2024. The analyst team collectively forecasts global telecom equipment revenues to contract 8 to 10% in 2024, down from the 4% decline in 2023.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—EchoStar Corporation joined the chorus of growing woes in the pay TV industry during this quarter’s earning season by reporting lower revenue and worse losses both for Q2 ending June 30, 2024 and for the first six months of the year. 

In Q2, net pay-TV subscribers decreased approximately 104,000 in the second quarter, compared to 294,000 in the year ago quarter. The company closed the quarter with 8.07 million Pay-TV subscribers including 6.07 million Dish TV subscribers and 2.00 million Sling TV subscribers. 

EchoStar said that the change in net Pay-TV subscriber losses resulted from Sling TV subscriber additions in the second quarter compared to losses in the year ago quarter and a decrease in net Dish TV subscriber losses due to a lower DISH TV churn rate, offset by lower gross new Dish TV subscriber activations.

The company is investing heavily in 5G and wireless to take up the slack from its declining pay TV business but in Q2 retail wireless net subscribers decreased by approximately 16,000 in the second quarter. The company closed the quarter with 7.28 million retail wireless subscribers. The decrease in net retail wireless subscriber losses resulted from a lower retail wireless churn rate, offset by lower gross new retail wireless subscriber activations, the company said.

EchoStar also noted that the second quarter was negatively impacted by net losses of government subsidized subscribers, including Affordable Connectivity Program ("ACP") subscribers, compared to net additions in the year ago quarter, primarily due to the ACP program funding concluding on June 1, 2024. Excluding the impact of net losses of government subsidized subscribers EchoStar added approximately 32,000 retail wireless subscribers in the second quarter.

Broadband net subscribers decreased by approximately 23,000 in the second quarter, compared to 55,000 in the year ago quarter. The company closed the quarter with 955,000 Broadband subscribers. The net broadband subscriber loss improvement was primarily due to the new EchoStar XXIV satellite service launch and increased subscriber demand for our new satellite service plans.

For the six months ending June 30, 2024, EchoStar reported total revenue of $7.97 billion for the six months ending June 30, 2024, down significantly compared to $8.74 billion in the year ago period.

Losses also widened. The net loss attributable to EchoStar in the first two quarters of 2024 was $312.97 million, compared to net income of $466.20 million in the year ago period. Diluted loss per share was $1.15, compared to earnings per share of $1.51 in the year ago period. Consolidated operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) totaled $912.31 million for the six months ending June 30, 2024, compared to $1.32 billion in the year ago period.

MONTREAL—Haivision Systems will showcase the latest developments in its ecosystem of live video contribution solutions at IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

The ecosystem enables broadcasters to:   

• Contribute low latency video over any network. The Makito X4 HEVC and H.264 encoders stream 4K UHD, HD, and HDR video at ultra-low latency over the internet. Haivision Pro mobile transmitters contribute live video over bonded cellular networks, including public and private 5G.  
• Distribute to on-prem and cloud production workflows. Haivision’s StreamHub and SRT Gateway receive, decode and distribute live video streams for cloud production and on-prem workflows, including SDI, NDI and SMPTE ST 2110 with NMOS.  
• Manage devices and workflows. Haivision Hub 360, the cloud-based master control solution, helps broadcasters remotely manage and control all their field units and video contribution feeds for live production workflows.  
• Stream over 5G from smartphones. Leveraged across the Paris Olympics, the MoJoPro camera app contributes high-quality HD video to live production workflows from anywhere by bonding cellular and Wi-Fi network connections. 

Haivision also will show Haivision Command 360, its video wall solution for operation and command centers within mission-critical applications for government, public safety and enterprise customers, the company said.

See Haivision at IBC 2024 Stand 2.B32.

Setting a one-on-one meeting appointment with the company is available online.

More information is available on the company’s website.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Communications Commission has announced the launch of its new Mobile Speed Test app. The new app features an enhanced user interface that makes challenging the accuracy of the provider-reported mobile coverage data even easier.

“In today’s digital world, a fast and reliable internet connection is essential for everything from education to healthcare to work and staying connected with family and friends,” said FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.  “Consumers deserve to know where they have mobile coverage and at what speeds and the FCC wants to include their experiences in our effort to create a more precise map of available coverage.  Our new app makes it easier to share real-world experience with connectivity, empowering consumers and making it possible for up-to-date and crowdsourced information to inform our mapping.”

The new app replaces the original FCC Speed Test app and is part of the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection program. It enables users to obtain free, open, and transparent information about the performance of their mobile network. 

Speed test data from the app help to improve the accuracy of the mobile coverage information displayed on the agency’s National Broadband Map (https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home). 

Users can submit their tests to the FCC either as challenges to provider-reported coverage, or as crowdsource data that is used to inform the Commission’s verification and audit work, as well as other policy decisions. 

New features include: 

• “Repeated test” functionality allowing users to conduct repeated tests without having to enter and certify information before each individual test.  This also allows for hands-free mobile tests while driving.  
• An in-app map overlay displaying the area where a test was taken.
• The ability for users to log into the National Broadband Map to review their speed test results and see them on a map.

The updated app is available in both the Google Play Store for Android devices at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.agence3pp.fcc and in the Apple App Store for iOS devices https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fcc-mobile-speed-test/id6470025404.

Users of the original FCC Speed Test app are receiving an in-app notification inviting them to visit the app store and download the new app. The original FCC Speed Test app is no longer allowing users to run speed tests.  The FCC encourages both existing and new users to download the new FCC Mobile Speed Test app to test their mobile broadband service performance and to participate in the mobile broadband challenge process.

More information about the app, including a link to the user guide, can be found at: https://www.fcc.gov/app.

More information on the Broadband Data Collection program can be found at: https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData.

PARIS—Haivision Systems Inc. has announced that France Télévisions will provide UHD coverage of the pre- and post-competition activities of the surfing event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games using Haivision’s private 5G video transmission ecosystem. 

The surfing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place over four days during a 10-day window from July 27 to August 5 from Teahupo'o, Tahiti as part of an initiative to expand the Games across France. 

To provide engaging behind-the-scenes coverage and ensure maximum freedom of camera movement, the France Télévisions team will leverage the latest 5G broadcast transmission innovations from Haivision and Obvios. The coverage will include live content such as interviews with the athletes in the Olympic Village and live shots from a boat-based camera.  

In Teahupo'o, France Télévisions' field production team will deploy the ultra-low latency Haivision Pro460 mobile video transmitters to capture and transmit live contribution streams of pre- and post-event content. The transmitter feeds will be sent over the Obvios private 5G Dome network to Haivision StreamHub receivers located at the post production center at Teahupo'o beach. Fully produced content will be transported to France Télévisions' broadcast production center in Paris for broadcast across its networks using Haivision StreamHub's IP gateway capabilities. 

"Utilizing the latest technology including a private 5G cellular network from Obvios and the cellular contribution solutions from Haivision will enable us to provide viewers with unprecedented UHD coverage of the athletes before and after the surfing competition during the Olympic Games,” explained Thierry Jacob, director of overseas resources and development, France Télévisions. “The technology powering the work in Tahiti will revolutionize the way France Télévisions Overseas production teams work and will bring viewers closer to the competitions and the athletes than ever before." 

"Haivision is extremely proud to partner with France Télévisions for coverage of the surfing event and its athletes during the Paris 2024 Games,” Jean-Marc Racine, Chief Product Officer, Haivision added. “This collaboration showcases innovation combining the Haivision Pro and StreamHub receiver, along with the power of private 5G connectivity from Obvios. Together, we're setting a new standard for how large-scale events are covered and presented to the audience." 

"Our private 5G network solution is robust and maintains a perfect signal on the move,” said Nicolas Dallery, vice-president marketing & sales, Obvious. “It eliminates the problems of coverage and saturation of public networks. Thanks to Haivision's mobile video transmitter solutions, the Obvios private 5G Dome network also enables France Télévisions to produce live broadcasts with unrivaled video quality." 

As an official broadcaster of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, France Télévisions will be offering coverage from July 26 to August 11 with programming on France 2, France 3, Les 1ère, France 4, and for the first time ever, a digital channel completely dedicated to the event available on France.tv.   

New Q1 2024 data from Ookla shows that T-Mobile continues to provide the fastest 5G download speeds in the U.S., with a median 5G download speed of 287.14 Mbps as of March 2024, an increase of 29.64 Mbps in a single month. That helped it extend its lead over Verizon, which recorded 224.67 Mbps, and AT&T with 145.36 Mbps.

The increases in 5G speeds will be an important factor in the ongoing competition between 5G providers and broadband services offered by cable operators. 

The Ookla speedtest data from the U.S. also showed 5G delivered a much better page load speed than 4G on three major services during Q1 2024. Google loaded 21% faster on 5G than 4G, YouTube was 22% faster, and Facebook was 26% faster on 5G.

While national median speeds continue to advance, there remain some significant disparities in 5G performance at an individual state level. The Midwestern States fare best, with Illinois, Kansas, North Dakota, and Minnesota all within the top-5 performing states nationally, with median 5G download speeds above 225 Mbps during Q4 2023.

At the other end of the scale are U.S. states with the highest shares of rural populations, including Vermont, Maine, Mississippi, and West Virginia, which had median download speeds below 100 Mbps. 

Performance gains from all national cellular providers also enabled the U.S. to climb the ranks when compared to its peers internationally. This has been driven by increased availability of mid-band spectrum for 5G use, Ookla reported. 

More data and the full report can be found at  https://www.ookla.com/articles/5g-in-the-us-q1-2024.

MT. OLIVE, N.J.—Vislink Technologies, Inc. has announced the release of its INCAM-GV RF and 5G wireless transmitters designed exclusively for Grass Valley's new LDX 135 RF and LDX 150 RF cameras. 

The INCAM-GV is a fully integrated HEVC 4K UHD, HDR-ready wireless system tailored to enhance the Grass Valley LDX 100 Series live production cameras. This latest wireless transmitter available in RF and 5G versions delivers full broadcast quality encoding at 4K UHD, 1080p, 1080i, and 720p, complete with camera control. The integration ensures the total flexibility that comes from wireless transmission and the delivery of high-quality, immersive viewing experiences to audiences, making it an essential tool for modern broadcasting, the companies reported. 

"The INCAM-GV represents a significant leap forward in our partnership with Grass Valley,” explained Michel Bais, chief product officer of Vislink. “This transmitter not only meets but exceeds the demands of modern live production, offering unprecedented wireless transmission robustness and image quality. Our goal is to empower broadcasters to deliver content in ways that were previously unimaginable."

Unveiled at NAB 2024, the Grass Valley LDX 135 RF and LDX 150 RF cameras provide the same cutting-edge camera technology as their non-RF counterparts, now with the added benefit of integrated wireless transmission capabilities. The INCAM-GV leverages this by utilizing HEVC video coding technology, allowing broadcast organizations to deliver high-quality images over less RF bandwidth or over longer ranges than was previously possible.

Klaus Weber, Director of Product Marketing at Grass Valley, added that the “incorporation of Vislink's INCAM-GV 5G and RF wireless transmitters for our LDX 135 RF and LDX 150 RF cameras offers our customers a seamless, cable-free experience without compromising on the exceptional picture quality Grass Valley is known for. This integration is a testament to our dedication to innovation in the media and entertainment industry."

Key features of the INCAM-GV include:

• Full Compatibility: Designed to fit perfectly with the mechanical and operational profile of the LDX 135 RF and LDX 150 RF.
• Licensable Frequency Bands: Provides flexibility for rapid, in-field changes to transmission settings.
• High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC): Ensures superior image quality with reduced bandwidth usage.

For more information, visit www.vislink.com. 

The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve network resilience, and provide support of converged services for residential customers. 

Broadband Forum’s Phase 18.1 specifications build on 3GPP’s Release 18. They extend the set of common value-adding capabilities, enabling operators to deliver customized Quality of Service and more freedom to smoothly migrate to using a single converged 5G Core with a multi-vendor broadband network, the group said. 

That will drive greater value and better Quality of Experience to the customer and will allow operators to consolidate their IT systems for more efficient operations and lower their Total Cost of Ownership, the Forum added. 

“By defining these functional improvements and capabilities for multi-vendor 5G broadband networks, BBF’s work addresses the needs of both fixed and mobile operators.” said Manuel Paul, Deutsche Telekom and Broadband Forum WWC Work Area co-director. “They can combine offerings and provide a uniform experience to subscribers irrespective of the access in use, supported by a common control plane and streamlined back office.”

The Broadband Forum’s Wireless-Wireline Convergence (WWC) Work Area is developing five new specifications as part of its Phase 18.1 umbrella of 5G work, the group said. 

Key use cases include business services support, hybrid access, network data analytics, and support for devices behind a 5G Residential Gateway (5G-RG). Different subscriber groups such as home workers or gamers can also be prioritized with greater bandwidth on-demand thanks to network slicing, part of the key enhancements from this latest phase of work, the Forum reported. 

This work includes documents WT-456 Issue 3 (Access Gateway Function Functional Requirements), WT-458 Issue 2 (CUPS for 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence), and WT-470 Issue 3 (5G Wireless-Wireline Convergence Architecture), as well as related extensions of CPE device requirements and device data models that will expand the deployment options for operators.

“Our Phase 18.1 work is driven by industry demand and the priorities of operators, as we focus on providing them with increased flexibility, revenue potential, and deployment options,” said Christele Bouchat, Nokia and Broadband Forum WWC Work Area co-director. “By working in close alignment with 3GPP, we are ensuring synergy for the broadband industry. By leveraging convergence, operators can cost-effectively deliver broadband in the home and office.”

The previous phase of work, included Control-User Plane Separation (CUPS) for multi-vendor support (TR-458) and specified the combined AGF-5G-User Plane (“Broadband-UPF”), allowing operators to flexibly and efficiently use the Broadband User Plane with the 5G Control Plane cost-effectively. Broadband Forum’s Technical Reports TR-493 and TR-494 have been published, converging residential voice support onto today’s 5G networks.

More information is available at https://www.broadband-forum.org/. 

GERMANTOWN, Md.—EchoStar’s Hughes Network Systems has opened a new manufacturing facility and private 5G incubation center in Germantown, Maryland. 

The Hughes Manufacturing Facility (EXM) produces U.S.-made hardware, including the Hughes HT3000W JUPITER System satellite modem and the Hughes HL1120W Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite terminal. 

In addition to about 400 engineers, technicians and manufacturing staff, the Hughes EXM facility utilizes advanced robotics to assist in the manufacture of high-tech products such as satellite modems and terminals. The EXM facility will also serve as a testing ground for private 5G solutions just now reaching the market for Enterprise applications as well as secure 5G networking applications critical to the U.S. Department of Defense.

"Hughes has deep roots in this community. Our capabilities evolved from a long-ago startup in Rockville, Maryland, and we have grown into what is now the leading provider of broadband satellite services, products, and managed network solutions," said Paul Gaske, COO, Hughes. "The EXM facility allows us to continue a proud tradition of designing and manufacturing leading edge products here in Maryland."

Located in the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology on the Montgomery College campus, the new manufacturing center will offer hands-on training and educational initiatives for students, helping to develop a pipeline of local technical talent. Students will be able to interact with leading engineers at Hughes through internships, mentoring, and shadowing opportunities. This 140,000-square-foot space is the first-ever manufacturing facility on a community college campus in the U.S.

As a leading satellite technology and managed service provider for government entities and defense agencies, Hughes said it will use the new manufacturing center to provide the U.S. Department of Defense with much-needed, secure onshore manufacturing capabilities.

"The opening of EXM solidifies our dedication to technological innovation, engineering expertise, and fostering the next generation of industry leaders," said Hamid Akhavan, president and CEO, EchoStar. "The products imagined, designed, and fabricated in this building further advance our mission of connecting everyone, everywhere."

You’ve barely had time to catch your breath after Tokyo and recently, the 2023 World Cup in Qatar, but you’re already deep into planning for the upcoming Summer Games.  

Around 10,500 athletes representing 206 National Olympic Committee teams will compete in Paris from July to August during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, deeming it the largest event ever organized in France to date.

Competing for Bandwidth
As a national broadcaster, it’s imperative that you’re there—your nation is expecting it. But logistics and connectivity  may be challenging—how will you be able to leverage existing networks when they’re highly congested? Is Paris ready for 5G? From fans capturing the Games on social media or calling their friends on the other side of the world to celebrate their nation’s latest medal, the network environment will be highly contested, leaving broadcasters vulnerable.

We’ve never had better or more abundant connectivity, and wireless networks like 5G provide even more ways to access reliable backhaul from remote locations. It’s convenient, it promises low-latency, fast speeds and it’s easily accessible. In some cases, it even delivers.

But not everything is as reliable as your country’s medal winners. And all too often, neither is 5G.

Not all 5G Are the Same
While early adopters of 5G like the UAE and South Korea are achieving median download speeds in excess of 500 Mbps, it is a different story elsewhere. Globally, 5G is still in its infancy and in fragmented regions like Europe, performance is especially inconsistent.

According to the GSM Association, there are more than 80 x 5G operators in Europe, and only a handful are capable of delivering speeds in excess of 200 Mbps. Thanks largely to their dedicated 5G spectrum and a supportive regulatory environment, the Nordic countries of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, as well as Cyprus, are all capable of download speeds which qualify them as “High Performers” by connectivity specialist Ookla.

But in contrast, the five biggest European economies ─ Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain ─ are all struggling with spotty coverage and median downloads speeds as low as 98 Mbps.

And it’s not getting any better.

As more and more smartphones, wearables and IoT devices piggyback on Europe’s 5G infrastructure, the resulting network congestion means that median 5G speeds are actually decreasing every year. A report by the European Court of Auditors estimates that 5G deployment across the EU will cost around €400 billion, and with service providers already struggling to see a return on their existing 5G investment, future development into standalone 5G also looks doubtful.

For anyone who needs reliable, robust and high-bandwidth connectivity, 5G isn’t enough.

For mission critical functions, one connection is never enough which is why Dejero Smart Blending Technology™ leverages multiple connections to deliver more ways for people to access reliable connectivity, wherever they are.

Is Paris Ready for 5G?
In preparation for this summer’s sporting events in Paris, Dejero has already conducted 5G tests in the French capital with our latest EnGo 3 range of 5G mobile video transmitters, using a variety of SIM configurations across seven of the venues, including the South Paris Arena, the Emile Anthonie Stadium and the Stade de France. 

Setting the EnGo to 20 Mbps and 2 seconds of latency in fixed latency mode, we performed 5 minutes of streaming for each SIM combination. We found that 5G coverage is performing fairly well in the city core, but LTE is still the better option, especially the further out you go. Factor in crowd congestion and you could be in trouble if relying on a single cellular network carrier.

It’s safe to say that for live broadcasting and streaming at the Summer Games, one connection won’t be enough, which is why many live sports professionals will be relying on Dejero Smart Blending Technology that leverages multiple connections to deliver more ways for them to access reliable connectivity, at whichever venue they find themselves.

This carrier diversity delivers greater resiliency, and Dejero’s next generation 5G mobile video transmitters are already fully compatible with both standalone and non-standalone 5G. Combining 5G into multiple cellular networks, fiber and IP connections, as well as low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites, Dejero Smart Blending Technology creates a virtual 'network of networks' to deliver reliable low-latency connectivity.

We will be working closely with customers on-site in Paris to ensure they can secure the bandwidth required to transmit high quality HD and 4K video the connectivity they need. We give our customers the ability to go out and shoot what they want, where they want it, with the full knowledge that our technical experts are available on location to support their needs from the moment they arrive for set up, through to the closing ceremonies and wrap-up reports.

Diverse Networks in Diverse Environments
With uncertainty over the development of 5G even in advanced economies like Europe, it’s good to have more options when we need them. And we need them more than ever.

We’ve gone from sending video from point A to point B, to having everything connected over data. Dejero brings all this into one environment, combining video transmission with data connectivity to enable everyone from remote broadcast crews to emergency support teams to operate in the same way they would in an internal facility.

We’ve seen those limits consistently pushed; our equipment has been flown in helicopters and in planes; it’s been on the ground in the most inhospitable of locations; it’s been in rivers, floods and fires, and in areas affected by earthquakes. It’s worked with broadcasters in Ukraine warzones and in the Maui wildfires, and it is really rewarding to be able to help broadcasters on the front lines who are using Dejero technology for good. 

The landscape is constantly evolving, but in a world where there’s still a huge disparity in 5G connectivity, it’s good to know we don’t have to rely on just that and neither will the broadcasters and OTT platforms reporting from Paris this summer.

In the wake of data showing that cable operators lost broadband subs for the first time ever in 2023, a recent survey from Horowitz Research highlights the competitive threat that fixed broadband services pose to cable broadband offerings.

The survey found that multicultural homes were both aware of the service and preferred it over traditional cable internet access. 

The recent Horowitz Research study, State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Disruptions, found that as mobile providers like T-Mobile and Verizon make 5G wireless home internet available in more U.S. markets, awareness of the service is growing among multicultural households. 

About two in three multicultural consumers who do not already subscribe to 5G wireless home internet (62% of Black and 68% of Latinx and Asian) have at least some knowledge about the service, underscoring the success of recent marketing and advertising pushes by mobile providers about their 5G home internet, the report noted. 

The survey also found that compared to the ISP they had before, nearly 6 in 10 (59%) Black and more than half (55%) of Latinx and Asian 5G wireless home internet subscribers say that their 5G service does a better job. In addition the study found that roughly a third of each segment feels that 5G service is about the same as broadband when it comes to quality. Asian and Latinx subscribers are slightly more likely than Black subscribers to feel that traditional broadband is better than 5G.

“To say that 5G wireless home internet is a real competitive threat to broadband and fiber services is an understatement,” notes Adriana Waterston, EVP and Insights and Strategy Lead for Horowitz Research. “Our data show that there is an appetite for more competition in the home internet space, and the wireless providers are being very aggressive with marketing to appeal to multicultural audiences, such as through both Verizon and T-Mobile’s wildly successful Super Bowl ads. Retention efforts that focus on delivering value for the money will be key, given that 5G wireless is being promoted as highest-quality internet for a much more affordable price.”

As 5G coverage spreads to include more areas across the country, retaining multicultural subscribers will be an imperative for broadband providers, the researchers noted. 

The study finds that more than half of Black (56%), Latinx (55%), and Asian (60%) consumers who are not currently 5G wireless home internet subscribers say that they are likely or very likely to consider 5G home internet from a mobile provider when it becomes available in their area.

The full State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Disruptions 2023 report tracks the evolving market for new and potentially disruptive technologies that could be game-changers, including over-the-air (OTA) antennas, wireless 5G home internet services, and piracy and password sharing. The report is based on a survey fielded in Q3 2023 among 1531 adults 18+ who have a role in decisions regarding TV and internet services in the home. Data have been weighted to ensure results are representative of the overall U.S. population. The report is available in total market, FOCUS Latinx, FOCUS Black, and FOCUS Asian editions.

DURHAM, N.H.—Leichtman Research Group is reporting that the largest cable and wireline phone providers and fixed wireless services in the U.S. – representing about 96% of the market – acquired about 3,520,000 net additional broadband Internet subscribers in 2023, similar to a pro forma gain of 3,530,000 subscribers in 2022.  

But, all of those gains could all be traced to the expansion of fixed wireless/5G services, with fixed wireless/5G home Internet services from T-Mobile and Verizon adding about 3,665,000 subscribers in 2023 – compared to about 3,185,000 net adds in 2022. In contrast, cable operators lost about 65,000 subscribers in 2023 – compared to about 530,000 net adds in 2022. 

The top wireline phone companies lost about 80,000 total broadband subscribers in 2023 – compared to about 180,000 net losses in 2022, LRG reported. 

Overall the top broadband providers account for about 114.7 million subscribers, with top cable companies having 76.1 million broadband subscribers, top wireline phone companies having over 30.7 million subscribers, and top fixed wireless services having over 7.8 million subscribers, LRG reported. 

“Top broadband providers added about 3.5 million subscribers in 2023, similar to the number of broadband adds in 2022,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc.  “Over the past four years, top providers added about 15.9 million broadband subscribers, compared to about 10.2 million net broadband adds in the prior four (pre-pandemic) years.”

LRG also reported that wireline telcos had about 1.97 million net adds via fiber in 2023, offset by about 2.05 million non-fiber net losses and that fixed wireless services accounted for 104% of the total net broadband additions in 2023, compared to 90% of the net adds in 2022, and 20% of the net adds in 2021.

Comcast remained the largest broadband provider with 32,253,000, down 66,000 subs, followed by Charter (30,588,000, up 155,000), AT&T (15,288,000, down 98,000) and Verizon (7,650,000, up 166,000). 

Among fixed wireless services, T-Mobile led with 4,776,000, up 2,130,000, followed by Verizon (3,067,000, up 1,536,000).  and Altice (4,517,900, down 114,100). 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Communications Commission is celebrating the fact that it was awarded a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a detailed discussion of the innovative Broadcast Incentive Auction that earned the award for the agency. 

This is the agency's second Technical Emmy; it won its first Tech Emmy in 2009, which it shared with CEA (now CTA) and NTSC for the development of NTSC.

“The Incentive Auction provided significant benefits to broadcasters, wireless carriers, consumers and American taxpayers, and it is very gratifying that the Academy has acknowledged the creativity and success of the FCC’s effort by conveying this award,” said Jean Kiddoo, chair of the Incentive Auction Task Force.  “It is a real tribute to all of the dedicated public servants throughout the FCC who designed and implemented the first-of-its-kind, two-sided Incentive Auction.  We greatly appreciate that this Emmy recognizes the lasting value of their effort.” 

The FCC noted that the Broadcast Incentive Auction was a years-long project that allowed over-the-air TV stations to return broadcast spectrum in return for incentive payments.

The innovative auction design included channel sharing options that meant that over 80 percent of the stations that relinquished their spectrum were able to remain on the air while at the same time receiving once-in-a-lifetime capital for investment in their local stations. The freed-up spectrum was simultaneously auctioned to wireless carriers, resulting in new capacity to bring consumers 5G and other broadband services, the FCC said. 

Ultimately, the Broadcast Incentive Auction, which cleared 84 MHz of spectrum, resulted in $19.8 billion in gross auction revenues and provided $10.05 billion in payments to 50 winning broadcasters, while at the same time sending $7.3 billion to the U.S. Treasury to reduce the federal deficit.

In addition, the highly complex and carefully coordinated transition post-auction plan developed by the FCC enabled the broadcast spectrum to be cleared for winning mobile carriers in just 3 years, and for the over 1000 stations who needed to change their over-the-air channels as part of the rearrangement to be fully compensated for their costs to do so.  

The new wireless competition that was enabled by the auction included valuable low-band spectrum to be used to expand geographic coverage and broadband capacity and enable deployment of new 5G services. 

The Emmy is the most recent award that the effort received, the FCC said. 

The team was awarded the 2018 Edelman Award for Outstanding Use of Operations Research and Data Analytics by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).  

In addition, FCC senior economic advisor Evan Kwerel, Ph.D., received the prestigious Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal from the Partnership for Public Service for his auction work. 

FCC auctions more generally were central to the 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences won by Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson for their fundamental advances in auction theory and design including “new and better auction formats for complex situations in which existing formats cannot be used.”  

The committee noted that their “best-known contribution is the auction they designed” for the FCC that enabled bidding in simultaneous multiple rounds, which the FCC began using in 1994 to auction portions of the U.S. spectrum for commercial development.

More information is available on the effort at the Incentive Auction “By the Numbers” Public Notice.  

WALTHAM, Mass.—Zixi has announced a co-sell agreement with Verizon, coupling their network infrastructure with Zixi's live IP video software-defined solutions to deliver solutions for live linear and live event workflows across the media supply chain.

Zixi's SDVP is an innovative solution for provisioning, orchestrating and managing live video on 5G or any IP network. 

With the agreement, users can now deploy Zixi Broadcasters using Zixi ZEN Master and have access to comprehensive telemetry data on the network, transport, intra-cloud delivery, and associated edge devices in the end-to-end workflow. The powerful ZEN Master control plane enables users to help manage large-scale configurations to orchestrate, analyze, monitor, alert, and report on live video streams and devices across the Zixi Enabled Network of customers, integrated devices, and platforms and service providers standardized on Zixi. Powerful workflows include advanced GPU accelerated live transcoding, Zixi-patented sequenced hitless failover, connection bonding over disparate networks, purpose-built live operations dashboards, enhanced visualization, and centralized management of live channels and live events.

The partnership enables Verizon field sales to deliver to the customer base a software-defined solution set consisting of the Zixi Broadcaster, ZEN Master control plane and Zixi Live Transcoding, allowing Verizon to extend the edge of its network and allow M&E clients to scale at compute, transmission and operational levels, the companies said. 

The companies also reported that the partnership will help the M&E migration to IP and cloud-based workflows and away from satellite and other legacy methods while maintaining or exceeding broadcast levels of Quality of Service (QoS) and performance SLAs with lower latency. This becomes critical as the number of business partners involved in the media supply chain continues to grow exponentially, and content owners compete for audience share and drive new business models that innovate the programming lines of monetization while delivering a high Quality of Experience (QoE), the companies explained. 

Zixi’s software-defined solution, with its high efficiency, reduced infrastructure requirements, bandwidth optimization, and transport stream egress cost reduction, helps open new possibilities for the industry’s growth, innovation and enhanced video streaming experiences. 

“The breadth of Verizon network services and solutions coupled with the Zixi SDVP creates a winning combination of transport services, reliability and ease of use,” said Tim Stevens, global leader, strategic innovation, media & entertainment, Verizon. “By collaborating with a complex, next-generation provider like Zixi we are able to provide complex, next-generation solutions across the ecosystem enabling Verizon to deliver on our mission to help organizations improve performance and realize value faster.”

“Working closely with Verizon, we are bringing the industry an excellent 5G solution for live linear and event-based video use cases,” said Eric Bolten, vice president business development, Zixi. “The Verizon/Zixi solution set is a comprehensive Software-Defined Video Network fabric that coupled with Verizon’s world-class MEC network, allows media and entertainment customers a reliable and scalable offering across the media supply-chain as the live video market continues to rapidly evolve.”

SAN DIEGO—Sony Electronics has announced the PDT-FP1 portable data transmitter for high-speed transport of still images and video via 5G networks and announced plans to present the transmitter at the 2024 NAB Show, April 13-17, in Las Vegas.

Designed with a unique antenna structure, the PDT-FP1 enables real-time transfer of photos and video, enhancing broadcast and news workflows. During a video conference with the press, the company emphasized the PDT-FP1 does not support voice calls.

“The PDT-FP1 is a beneficial solution for many uses, including live events and productions, newsgathering, sports, faith, weddings and more. With the PDT-FP1, photographers and videographers can increase their efficiency and productivity on-the-go without worrying about battery life or demanding environmental conditions,” said Yang Cheng, vice president, Imaging Solutions, at Sony Electronics.

“In an industry where speed and timeliness are critical, this device is a game changer to allow for an easier and quicker upload and transfer from the field or frontlines to an editor.”

The PDT-FP1 makes it possible to view and upload media directly from compatible Sony cameras by using the transmitter as a 5G modem that delivers media to any file transfer protocol (FTP) destination. Video shooters and photographers can also use the Sony Creator’s Cloud app for secure and reliable media transfer through the PDT-FP1 to Sony Cloud services, such as the Ci Media Cloud and the C3 Portal’s cloud gateway, it said.

The new transmitter can livestream video via a 5G connection when used with a variety of compatible cameras paired with its HDMI port or through Sony still and video cameras when using USB, the company said.

Real-time media protocol (RTMP) streams can be broadcast to social media. The External Monitor App can be used as an external monitor while streaming, the company said.

The PDT-FP1 can be used with Sony’s new CBK-RPU7 remote production unit to transmit high-quality, low-latency (4K/60p/50p) HEVC video in sports, cinematic, virtual production and news applications, it said.

The transmitter provides for visually monitoring network and communication conditions while shooting with the dedicated Network Visualizer app, it said.

Features include:

• An optimized antenna structure: Supporting a wide range of wireless bands, including domestic and international 5G sub6/mmWave, 5G standalone networks and local 5G networks, the transmitter delivers high-speed, low-latency communications. 
• Multiple SIM support: In addition to the plug-in nano SIM card, the PDT-FP1 supports dual SIM with an eSIM that does not need to be inserted or removed. The transmitter offers automatic selection and prioritization of a line depending on the network conditions and switches SIMs to transfer data.
• Cooling fan and duct structure: Offering stable continuous communications, the PDT-FP1 fan and newly developed ducting enables operation in environments up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Simple data transfer workflow: The PDT-FP1's “Camera wired connection” setting feature simplifies and shortens setup time. The 6.1-inch OLED display can simultaneously display communication quality and file transmission status. 
• Connectivity options: A LAN port connects to a Sony camera to transfer data. A USB Type-C terminal further supports enhanced Sony camera compatibility. The PDT-FP1 has the potential to support HDMI-enabled cameras. By using the USB Type-C charging terminal and an external power source, the PDT-FP1 can be used to stream and transfer data simultaneously without worrying about battery drain. 
• Camera companion: The PDT-FP1 is designed as a camera companion, featuring a screw hole for securing the camera and tripod and a strap hole for attaching cable fixing accessories. Built-in memory of 8GB (RAM)/256GB (ROM) and microSDXC support of up to 1TB enables high-speed processing and storage of a large amount of data.

Sony is targeting summer 2024 for availability. The PDT-FP1 will cost about $1,100.

See Sony at 2024 NAB Show booth C8201. 

More information is available on the Sony website. 

IRVING, Texas—Trilogy NextGen has unveiled details about its work on a private 5G network deployment at the new Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) studio in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The facility will be used by Dr. Phil's new network and TBN. 

As part of its work on the new studio, Trilogy NextGen fully integrated a private 5G edge network and 5G-enabled cameras throughout Trinity Broadcasting Network’s state-of-the-art facility, which has also attracted Merit Street Media, a new network from acclaimed television personality Dr. Phil McGraw.

"As the new home for many of TBN's most popular news and entertainment programs, as well as 'Dr. Phil Primetime' and Merit Street Media, it was essential to create a facility that delivers the ultimate state-of-the-art experience," said Russell Hall, senior vice president of production, TBN. "Our partnership with Trilogy NextGen helps us invigorate the world of broadcasting, as we push the boundaries of content creation to inspire, inform and uplift audiences around the world."

The Trilogy NextGen private 5G network, which is powered by Microsoft Azure private multi-access edge compute (MEC) and the Ericsson 5G Radio Dot System, delivers secure, seamless, high-speed connectivity over Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum throughout the broadcasting facility, the companies said.

At launch, The PLEX, TBN's state-of-the-art broadcast center, will be capable of hosting up to 20 different live and recorded broadcasts at any given time. By fully integrating a private 5G edge network and 5G-enabled cameras throughout the 215,000-square-foot facility, Trilogy NextGen enabled wireless capture of digital content with near real-time latency, reliable mobile communications for production crews, and mission-critical security operations for their staff and emergency personnel. 

The PLEX broadcast center also has attracted a new media network tenant, Merit Street Media from television personality Dr. Phil McGraw, which launches on February 26.

Based on the Microsoft Azure private MEC solution, the 5G network empowers multiple use cases via ready-to-deploy applications. For example, once the 5G network was live, TBN chose to add a CBRS-enabled, push-to-talk (PTT) application, allowing secure, real-time coordination between production trailer security and building facilities teams with greater reliability than previously used Wi-Fi devices.

"In collaboration with TBN and Merit Street Media, Trilogy NextGen has unleashed the agility, speed and security of private 5G networking to streamline and transform the broadcast studio of tomorrow," said Parag Shah, president, Trilogy NextGen. "This next-generation 5G network powered by the edge compute capabilities of Microsoft Azure eliminates the constraints of wires and cables that limit creativity, reinventing the world of film and television."

"Trilogy NextGen's integration with Microsoft Azure private multi-access edge compute is delivering solutions that make a difference for people, organizations and industries around the world," added Rebecca Thompson, partner director, product management at Microsoft Azure for Operators. "With the high performance, low latency and security of private 5G connectivity at the edge, the PLEX broadcast center epitomizes the next wave of digital transformation in entertainment."

"In today's hyper-connected world, high-performing, secure indoor connectivity is an essential utility," concluded David Green, vice president and key account manager, Ericsson North America. "The system enables companies such as TBN to modernize and expand their operations in order to deliver use cases such as 5G video, security robots, digital intercoms, and push-to-talk through the use of indoor 5G networks."

MUNICH—Rohde & Schwarz will present a complete 5G Broadcast ecosystem at Mobile World Congress 2024, Feb. 26-29, at the Gran Via | Fira Barcelona convention center in Barcelona.

The presentation will focus on the system being ready for rollout and will show pathways to additional revenues, the company said.

5G Broadcast is a one-to-many transmission standard, part of the 3GPP specifications. Media broadcasts can be received on suitable mobile devices without a SIM card. The format provides for data broadcast, making it well-suited for updating IoT devices or automotive applications, it said.

Rohde & Schwarz has taken a significant role in its standardization, including working with ETSI JTC Broadcast and 5G-MAG, to ensure widespread acceptance of the technology. Thanks to this work, ITU has now endorsed 5G Broadcast as a next-generation DTT standard worldwide. The result is more agile use of the full UHF band, and a step towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future for the industry, the company said.

“For operators of networks, adding 5G Broadcast is a simple upgrade to Rohde & Schwarz transmitters,” said Thomas Janner, director of R&D Broadcast Applications at Rohde & Schwarz. 

“For the first time there is a practical, economical route to achieve true mobile television, further enhancing the cellular proposition without adding to network congestion. Additionally, there are huge opportunities for data delivery services, even in parallel to television broadcasting,” he said.

“These data services come at a time when delivery to automotive and IoT is desperately needed, and 5G Broadcast is ready to capture these new revenue streams, making it a win-win across the board.” 

More information is available on the company’s website.

See Rohde & Schwarz at stand 5A80.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—The rapid expansion of 5G and fixed wireless services, which have accounted for the vast majority of new broadband subscribers in recent quarters, is also translating into a booming market for fixed wireless equipment. 

According to a recently published report by Dell’Oro Group, spending on fixed wireless access (FWA) equipment has surged in recent years to support both residential and enterprise connectivity due to its ease of deployment along with the more widespread availability of 4G LTE and 5G Sub-6GHz networks, which offer increased throughput and reliability, comparable in many cases to more traditional fixed broadband technologies. 

The DellOro Group study finds that total FWA revenues, including RAN equipment, residential CPE, and enterprise router and gateway revenue remain on track to advance 27 percent in 2023, driven largely by residential subscriber growth in North America, as well as growing branch office connectivity more globally.

“Fixed Wireless Access has proven that it can provide connectivity both in rural and underserved markets while also competing head-to-head with fixed broadband technologies in urban and suburban markets,” said Jeff Heynen, vice president and analyst with the Dell’Oro Group. “Beyond residential connectivity, enterprises are relying more heavily on FWA-enabled routers and gateways to connect branch offices, vehicles, and kiosks as part of their own private wireless initiatives,” added Heynen.

Additional highlights from the “Fixed Wireless Access Infrastructure and CPE Advanced Research Report” include: 

• Global FWA revenues are projected to surpass $9 billion by 2027, reflecting sustained investment and subscriber growth in both 3GPP- and non-3GPP-based network deployments.
• The North American market remains the most dynamic in terms of deployed FWA technology options, with CBRS and other sub-6GHz options growing alongside 5G NR and 60 GHz options.
• Long-term subscriber growth is expected to occur in emerging markets in Southeast Asia and MEA, due to upgrades to existing 3G and LTE networks and a need to connect subscribers economically.
• The Satellite Broadband market will also be a key enabler of broadband connectivity in emerging markets, thanks to LEOS-based providers including Starlink, OneWeb, and Project Kuiper.

More information is available at www.delloro.com. 

BELLEVUE, Wash.—With more Americans relying on mobile 5G services to access streaming video, T-Mobile is adding Hulu on Us to its suite of complementary streaming services for those subscribing to its Go5G plan. 

Hulu will become the fourth free streaming service on the plan on January 24. 

With the launch Mike Katz, president of marketing, strategy and products at T-Mobile said that Hulu will be offered along with Apple TV+, Netflix and MLB.TV at no extra cost to Go5G Next customers.

“That’s over $400 a year in streaming benefits, from the very best services in the market, all included in your plan at no extra cost,” he said. 

With Hulu on Us—a $95.88 annual value for the Hulu (With Ads) monthly plan option—T-Mobile customers on Go5G Next can access thousands of hit TV shows, movies and more like “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and “Only Murders in the Building,” the carrier said. 

Currently its 5G network covers more than 330 million people across two million square miles — more coverage area than AT&T and Verizon combined. In addition 300 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G with over 2x more square miles of coverage than similar mid-band 5G offerings from the Un-carrier’s closest competitors.

More information is available at https://www.t-mobile.com/benefits.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—EchoStar Corporation has announced that it completed its acquisition of Dish Network Corporation on December 31, 2023. 

The completion of the deal brings Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar and Dish holdings back together into one company and is designed to strengthen the companies efforts to better compete in the 5G market. 

"The completion of this merger marks an important milestone for our company and our customers, launching a new era of connectivity," said Charles Ergen, Executive Chairman of the Board of EchoStar. "We have brought together two trailblazing companies with complementary portfolios to create a global connectivity leader with premier wireless, satellite, and video distribution capabilities. Together, EchoStar and Dish offer an enhanced consumer connectivity business and an unmatched enterprise managed services business. In a world that is increasingly wireless, we are well-positioned to drive revenue and profitable growth."

The transaction combines Dish Network's satellite technology, streaming services and nationwide 5G network with EchoStar's premier satellite communications solutions. It comes at a time when cord cutting has heavily cut into Dish Network’s pay TV video subscribers and the company has been spending heavily to expand its 5G network. 

Dish Network's 5G wireless network that now covers more than 70 percent of the U.S. population and the successful launch of EchoStar's Jupiter 3 satellite will provide the company with significant available capacity for converged terrestrial and non-terrestrial services, the company said.  

As a result of the merger, each share of Dish Network Class A Common Stock and Dish Network Class C Common Stock converted into 0.350877 shares of EchoStar Class A Common Stock, and each share of Dish Network Class B Common Stock converted into 0.350877 shares of EchoStar Class B Common Stock.

The combined company is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado and offers such services and brands as: Boost Mobile, Boost Infinite, Sling TV and Dish TV, as well as EchoStar, Hughes and Jupiter satellite services, HughesON managed services and HughesNet® satellite internet.

Evercore served as exclusive financial advisor, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP served as legal counsel to the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of EchoStar. White & Case LLP served as legal counsel to EchoStar.

J.P. Morgan served as exclusive financial advisor, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as legal counsel to the Special Transaction Committee of the Board of Directors of Dish Network. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP served as legal counsel to Dish Network.

CUPERTINO, Calif.—After analyzing 2023 usage data from thousands of clients, TVU Networks is reporting three key trends that will continue into 2024: AI-driven use is being adopted more regularly and frequently; remote production applications continue to be relied upon for coverage; and 5G use for video transmission reached a milestone.

TVU noted that in 2022, video ingest saw a significant leap as compared to the prior year based on usage metrics from AI-based TVU Search across news, entertainment and sporting events. Not only has usage continued in 2023, but the number of daily interactions associated with TVU Search by users has also increased dramatically by 1200% over the past year. TVU Search is a cloud-native application that provides live video content ingest and discovery. It features content search capabilities based on advanced AI algorithms and automation, allowing users to locate live or archival feeds or clips for immediate playout, download, or distribution.

“The robust daily use of TVU Search suggests that the use of AI for rapid content identification and clipping is becoming more commonplace for everyday use such as for story creation,” remarked Paul Shen, CEO, TVU Networks. “We introduced TVU Search with AI a few years ago based on our customers needing a faster, easier, and more effticient way of locating relevant content for coverage. It’s now an integral part of the cloud-based TVU ecosystem for live production.”

Tools designed for remote production also continued to be popular for broadcast enterprises this past year, TVU is reporting. 

TVU’s cloud-based ecosystem for video coverage of news, events, and other live applications saw a rise in overall use including for content acquisition and production compared to the prior year. For example, TVU Anywhere experienced a 400% increase based on data throughput by users for the live video mobile app. TVU Producer saw a more than 130% increase in the number of monthly users actively using the platform for cloud-based live production.

“We have seen the strong trend of broadcasters transitioning to cloud-based remote production workflows which started a few years [ago], and it continued throughout 2023,” said Shen. “With viewer media consumption habits constantly changing, the need for scalable, cost-effective, fast deployment, and easy-to-use tools is at the top of everyone’s media supply chain wish list going into next year.”

Shen also identified 5G as another major trend. “We continue to also invest in our portable transmission backpack units,” he said. “For the first time, usage of our packs on 5G outpaced 4G/LTE in data and hours used as broadcasters began relying more heavily on the newer mobile network.”