The XR Sports Alliance (XRSA) has announced that a new cohort of members has joined the strategic initiative: ActionStreamer, Antigravity, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Freeride World Tour, HOVERAir, Manchester United, Pico, Rezzil, San Diego Wave FC, Specs, Inc, and Trigger XR.

Founded two years ago in June 2024 by Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Host Broadcast Services (HBS), the XRSA is designed to accelerate time-to-market and commercialization of XR sports services.

The new members are the fourth group of organizations to join the XRSA, bringing the total number of members up to 33.

"Two years in, XRSA has started to build genuine momentum across sports, media, and technology,” Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, commented. “This fourth cohort reflects the breadth of what the alliance is becoming and continues to expand its capabilities across the immersive sports value chain. We are now several deployments in, proving our value as a structured testbed for real-world XR experimentation—with each new member strengthening what we can achieve together in accelerating the time-to-market and commercialization of XR sports experiences."

The new cohort of members spans rights owners, technology and hardware providers, and one of the world's leading sports and entertainment agencies—extending the alliance's reach across action sports rights, professional football, and aerial capture technology.

It includes ActionStreamer, a live-streaming software and wearable technology company, Antigravity, maker of A1, the world’s first 8K 360-degree drone for immersive capture; Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a global sports and entertainment agency; Freeride World Tour, the global series of competition for elite freeride skiers and snowboarders; HOVERAir, a technology and robotics company with a range of self-flying cameras; Pico, a VR technology company; Rezzil, a leading sports technology company focused on performance, insight, and engagement; San Diego Wave FC, a professional women’s soccer team, Specs, Inc. a technology company building the next generation of wearable computer; and Trigger XR, a sports and performance-focused agency. Manchester United, a UK Premier League football team, has also joined, as part of its partnership with Qualcomm.

"Bringing together organizations with expertise spanning capture technology, creative services, sports rights and fan engagement gives XRSA the range it needs to generate learnings that are genuinely transferable across the industry,” added Sylvain Lebreton, head of digital, HBS. “Meaningful experimentation requires diverse environments — different sports, different audiences, different production conditions. This cohort delivers exactly that breadth, and that is what will make our outputs valuable beyond any single deployment."

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.”

SAO PAULO—Just weeks after Brazil announced its adoption of part of the ATSC 3.0 advanced broadcast standards, advocates of 5G broadcast are demonstrating the technology at SET Expo 2024, Latin America’s largest broadcast trade show.

Motorola and Qualcomm Serviços de Telecomunicações Ltda. ("Qualcomm Brazil") in collaboration with Rohde & Schwarz, are demonstrating 5G Broadcast during the three day event, Aug. 20-22 and discussing how the format “is gaining momentum in regions such as Mexico and Brazil.”

5G Broadcast is primarily designed to target mobile users with live streaming and linear content. Advocates say the format “complements” existing DTV standards such as DVB-T2 in the European Union and ATSC 3.0 as the next-generation digital TV system in Brazil. The demonstration highlights the versatility of 5G Broadcast in operating as a standalone broadcasting platform or in conjunction with mobile network operators (MNOs) through a seamless service continuity feature.

Rohde & Schwarz—which launched its new ATSC 3.0 transmitter at the NAB Show—is instead focusing on 5G Broadcast at SET, delivering a mix of live streaming services at its booth.

Last month, Brazil’s BTVD Forum, the non-profit organization that advises the Brazilian government on digital television and policy matters, recommended the selection of the ATSC 3.0 physical layer as the over-the-air transmission system for the nation’s TV 3.0 next-generation terrestrial broadcast service, which is expected to launch in 2025. The ATSC itself is hosting its own booth during the show.

When and if 5G Broadcasts become publicly available, consumers wanting to access them can use commercially available Motorola Edge devices powered by a Snapdragon mobile platform that have been modified to enable content reception without requiring a SIM subscription..

“Content services can be delivered in a more efficient and reliable way using 5G Broadcast technology without compromising existing mobile cellular technology. We are excited to bring this collaboration with the Rohde & Schwarz team to Latin America and show what delivering digital TV content through standard 3GPP technology can look like,” said Lorenzo Casaccia, Vice President, Technical Standards, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

"We are thrilled to demonstrate the potential of 5G Broadcast in Brazil, providing an enhanced viewing experience and new business opportunities for broadcasters and mobile operators alike," said Mohamed Aziz Taga, Head of Business Development & Strategy at Rohde & Schwarz. "Working with our esteemed partners to bring this technology to SET Expo 2024 is an exciting opportunity. 5G Broadcast represents a significant advancement in broadcast technology, offering unparalleled flexibility and efficiency."

The demos are taking place at Rohde & Schwarz booth, Stand 2.E77.

Accedo is joining forces with Qualcomm Technologies and HBS, a specialist sports broadcast organization, to form a strategic alliance with the aim of bringing together market-leading stakeholders to bridge the sports and XR industry. It will draw on Accedo’s expertise in video user experience, distribution and monetization, Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon powered XR technology and expertise, and HBS’ strong sports ecosystem. The program aims to accelerate knowledge gathering, technological advancement and time-to-market for XR sports services, as well as gather and share industry knowledge.

The XR Sports Alliance aims to drive development and deployment of XR Sports product and services by providing an end-to-end solution framework to help key stakeholders deploy state-of-the art XR services efficiently and at scale. The framework encompasses immersive video production and distribution, system architecture definition, data and monetization frameworks, user testing and technology and business model advisory elements. Moreover, the program will be open to third parties to join, including XR OEMs, to drive development of purpose-built XR hardware for the sports and video entertainment use case.

At its core, the program aims to connect leading companies from the sports, video, telco, infrastructure, and hardware industries to collaborate with one another in innovation projects, collectively contribute to each other’s roadmaps, and exchange knowledge and feedback, with the aim of supporting and accelerating industry growth and innovation.

Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo, commented: “We believe XR will become an important content distribution and user engagement platform and we want to connect industry stakeholders to collaborate and innovate. The Alliance network will enable industries to uncover industry demand in different geographical regions and shine light on the pipeline of upcoming XR solutions, allowing sports rights owners and holders to make data-driven decisions.”

Patrick Costello, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm, Technologies, Inc., added: “We are entering a new era of spatial computing. We firmly believe that XR experiences will revolutionize how fans engage with sports and we are already seeing a rise in adoption of immersive entertainment experiences thanks to the emergence of new XR devices and increased investment by OEMs for sports content rights. The XR Sports Alliance, will bring together key players in the sports entertainment value-chain, collectively fostering the ecosystem to deliver game-changing immersive sports experiences.”

Sylvain Lebreton, Head of Digital Services, HBS, commented: “This program aims to be a game-changer for the sports industry, helping to drive innovation. We are engaging with industry leaders across every part of the XR and sports broadcast ecosystem, which we are sure will ultimately accelerate development and deployment of commercial XR sports services.”

While 5G is, and has been for several years, a household word, a technology that this fifth-generation of personal wireless communication has spawned may be new to many: “5G Broadcast” (or “LTE-based 5G Terrestrial Broadcast” as it’s officially referenced).

5G Broadcast is based on the use of wireless broadband network technology for distribution of media to consumers on mobile devices. However, this version of 5G is not based on the current one-to-one (unicast) distribution for streaming, but rather a one-to-many (broadcast) dissemination scheme using the “high-tower/high-power” approach that conventional broadcasters rely on.

Another big difference is that 5G Broadcast primarily targets mobile devices, instead of TVs as the current ATSC 3.0 transmission does. 5G Broadcast and conventional broadcast do have something in common though: use of UHF TV broadcast spectrum. 

Learn More
Although the jury is still out as to the ultimate future of 5G Broadcast, it behooves broadcasters to learn about it, as it could be a gamechanger in the broadcast industry. 

“5G has promised to revolutionize the mobile telecommunications world, offering unprecedented speed, capacity and reliability,” says Sam Matheny, NAB CTO. “5G Broadcast technology is a subset aimed at enhancing live streaming mobile TV services.”

The NAB Show, April 14-17 in Las Vegas, will feature opportunities for an up close and personal look at 5G Broadcast, beginning with a demonstration of the technology in a special booth where “5G Broadcast is spoken.”

Frank Copsidas, the CEO of XGen Network, an advocacy organization for 5G Broadcast will be in the West Hall (W3849) promoting  5G Broadcast. “We’ll be showing new exciters and transmitter equipment, as well as receivers,” he said. “And we will have a demo on the floor for directly receiving 5G Broadcast transmissions.”

XGen Network launched the first U.S. experimental 5G broadcast operation in 2023 at Boston DMA WWOO-LD, operating on TV Ch. 28, and has applied for two additional 5G Broadcast experimental licenses in Connecticut.

One of the big advantages of 5G Broadcast—aside from offloading content with high viewership levels from the conventional cellular “one-to-one” infrastructure—is that it operates on a direct-to-mobile basis, Copsidas said. “The beauty of 5G Broadcast is that it goes from a standard broadcast tower straight to a user’s smartphone,” said Copsidas. “There’s no SIM card, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth needed.”  

And while one-to-many dissemination of entertainment programming is definitely part of the grand plan for 5G Broadcast, Copsidas says that’s not the main focus right now. 

“Our number one priority in the U.S. for 5G Broadcast is first responder and emergency alerts,” he said. “We can put out emergency alerts in the 17 languages that the FCC wants within one-half second. We do plan to show some solutions for first responders at NAB. We can put out streams of data (directed to first responders) to smartphones; all you need is an app on the phone. 

“Qualcomm, which is one of our partners, has also developed a CPE [customer premises equipment] box for 5G Broadcast, which we’ll have at the show,” he added. “Qualcomm has been a phenomenal partner. They keep coming up with 5G Broadcast ideas for us and we keep coming up with ideas for them.”

Although there are yet no commercially-marketed products (smartphones) specifically designed for receiving 5G Broadcasts, Copsidas says this is not really a problem.

“I can buy a phone directly from the OnePlus 11 internet website,” said Copsidas. “When we get it here, we have Qualcomm software that can access the phone’s chip and open up our frequency. There are 5G, satellite and 5G Broadcast, along with other services in that chip, and they are all independent of one another.”

In addition to the demos and exhibits, the LPTV Broadcasters Association’s annual meeting during the show (Rm. W1202 in the West Hall, April 14), will include a 5G Broadcast monetization session.

Industry Experts Weigh In
While no one knows for certain where 5G Broadcast’s footprint will land in the broadcasting ecosphere, it could augment ATSC 3.0 broadcasting to reach both big screen TVs in the home and handheld mobile devices. 

Jordi Giménez, head of technology at the 5G Media Action Group (5G-MAG), an international non-profit group established to encourage collaboration in connection with mobile media services, strongly encourages broadcasters to learn as much as possible about the new transmission modality.

“I believe it is time to pay more attention to the technology from the service and application point of view,” said Giménez. “5G Broadcast is a 3GPP technology, meant to operate in the mainstream device market, and aligned with streaming workflows. 

“With the blooming of streaming apps for video/TV and audio/radio, it is time to play with them,” Giménez added. “Broadcast works; it has worked for a century. But this time service providers and operators have the opportunity to embed it in streaming applications with a protocol stack aligned with the internet and with a technology that works in the 3GPP ecosystem of devices, operating systems and apps.

“Support for 5G Broadcast has grown significantly over the last few years, and our historic accomplishment further exemplifies the broad interest and growth,” said Lorenzo Casaccia, vice president of technical standards and IP at Qualcomm Technologies. “The collaboration between Ateme, WWOO-LD, and Qualcomm Technologies is a major step forward in how content can be delivered to a wide array of devices.”

Doug Lung, vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local and long-time writer of TV Tech's RF Technology column, also advises attendees to use the NAB Show to learn more about 5G, especially as it could augment the NextGen TV standard that’s being deployed. 

(Read: What is 5G Broadcast?)

“Transmission of ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast on a single channel was demonstrated last year,” said Lung. “But practical implementation will depend on modification of one or both standards. At the NAB Show we may have a better idea of whether this ‘dual transmission’ will ever be practical.”

Lung said that in making the rounds at this year’s NAB Show he’ll be looking to see what’s out there in the way of 5G Broadcast receivers, and what 3GPP standard they support, “even if they are protypes.” 

Knowledge is Power
With the support of proponents such as XGen, 5G Broadcast could well become the favored way of delivering content to the masses, especially to those wanting to consume it on mobile devices. Only time will tell.

One thing is certain, however, if 5G Broadcast does wind up in a dominant position, those primed with as much knowledge about it as possible will definitely have the ball in their court. As expressed by the English philosopher Francis Bacon more than 400 years ago, “knowledge is power,” and you’ll want to be in the front row if and when 5G Broadcast takes center stage, and there’s no better place right now to learn about the new standard than the NAB Show.

“For broadcasters, understanding the nuances of the various facets of 5G technology and how they will integrate into current infrastructures is vital,” said the NAB’s Matheny. “The 2024 NAB Show (will serve) as an essential gathering place for industry leaders to delve into 5G broadcast's innovations, challenges and the potential opportunities it presents for augmenting content delivery and viewer experiences." 

With the support of proponents such as Qualcomm and XGEN, 5G Broadcast could well become the favored way of delivering content to the masses, especially to those wanting to consume it on mobile devices. Only time will tell.

One thing is certain however—if 5G Broadcast does wind up in a dominant position, those primed with as much knowledge about it as possible will definitely have the ball in their court. 

“For broadcasters, understanding the nuances of the various facets of 5G technology and how they will integrate into current infrastructures is vital,” said Matheny. “The 2024 NAB Show (will serve) as an essential gathering place for industry leaders to delve into 5G broadcast’s innovations, challenges and the potential opportunities it presents for augmenting content delivery and viewer experiences.” 

To register for the NAB Show, visit nabshow.com/2024/

BELLEVUE, Wash.—In a development that could have implications for fixed wireless speeds and 5G broadcasting, T-Mobile has announced a successful test that leveraged 5G standalone millimeter wave (mmWave) on its production network.

T-Mobile is calling the test results a U.S. 5G first.  

Working with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., T-Mobile aggregated eight channels of mmWave spectrum to reach download speeds topping 4.3 Gbps without relying on low-band or mid-band spectrum to anchor the connection. T-Mobile also aggregated four channels of mmWave spectrum on the uplink, reaching speeds above 420 Mbps.

5G mmWave can deliver incredibly fast speeds because it offers massive capacity. But the signal doesn’t travel very well through obstacles, making it less ideal for mobile phone users who aren’t sitting still. 

To address that problem, T-Mobile has implemented a multi-band spectrum strategy using low-band to blanket the country and mid-band and high-band (Ultra Capacity) to deliver fast speeds to nearly everyone. 

The 5G mmWave on 5G SA could be used in crowded areas like stadiums and, potentially, for fixed wireless service, T-Mobile said. 

“We’ve been industry leaders – rolling out the first, largest and fastest 5G standalone network across the country – and now we’re continuing to push the boundaries of wireless technology,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, president of Technology at T-Mobile. “We’ve always said we’ll use millimeter wave where it makes sense, and this test allows us to see how the spectrum can be put to use in different situations like crowded venues or to power things like fixed-wireless access when combined with 5G standalone.”

T-Mobile’s 5G network covers more than 330 million people across two million square miles — more than AT&T and Verizon combined. 

In addition about 300 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G.

STAMFORD, Conn.—Charter Communications, Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have announced that they are working on a next-generation Advanced WiFi router that will bring WiFi 7 and 10 Gbps WiFi capabilities to Spectrum Internet users. Advanced WiFi routers with WiFi 7 are expected to be available to Spectrum customers in 2024.

“The leading WiFi 7 innovations from Qualcomm Technologies will enable our Advanced WiFi service to continue delivering robust and responsive internet connectivity and ultra-fast WiFi speeds to our customers,” said Dave Rodrian, Charter’s group vice president of WiFi products. “This next generation of WiFi will support the delivery of new experiences, such as fully immersive, ultra-low latency VR, and aligns with our network evolution plan to enable multi-gig wireless connectivity across our entire footprint.”

With internet usage and the number of WiFi-connected devices continuing to grow, the demand for wireless connectivity has never been greater. WiFi 7 advances the delivery of wireless connectivity by leveraging all three WiFi bands – 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz – and enabling both higher throughput and lower latency through the implementation of new features, the companies said. 

Those new features include: 

• Increased channel size, up to a peak of 320 MHz, delivering massive throughput gains from 6 GHz spectrum.
• Multi-Link Operation (MLO), supporting the use of multiple radios on a router to increase throughput and reduce latency.
• 4K modulation, boosting peak rates to increase throughput and capacity.
• Flexible channel utilization, an advancement based on preamble puncturing to avoid channels with interference.

“Qualcomm Technologies’ obsessive focus on technology development for advanced user experiences, along with our years-long collaboration with Charter, is on full display with the development of the Spectrum Advanced WiFi router featuring WiFi 7,” said Ganesh Swaminathan, vice president and GM of wireless infrastructure and networking, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “As broadband subscribers’ demand for high-performance connectivity continues to accelerate, we’re proud to deliver service-focused platforms to help customers meet those needs.”

In addition to supporting the latest WiFi technology, Spectrum’s Advanced WiFi product provides customers with control of their network via the My Spectrum App and includes Security Shield to protect their devices from online threats. It also powers exclusive Spectrum Mobile features like Speed Boost and the Spectrum Mobile SSID, taking converged connectivity to the next level, the companies said. 

More information about Advanced WiFi can be found here.

LAS VEGAS— Sustainability will be a main focus of Rohde & Schwarz at the 2023 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 16-19 as the company touts its high efficiency THU9evo transmitter and conducts a live demonstration of 5G Broadcast at its booth.

Energy efficiency represents a major challenge for the broadcast industry, but one which must be addressed to achieve a more sustainable future for everyone, the company said. R&S’s THU9evo is a flexible, software-defined transmitter platform which delivers the high power density on the market, which for ATSC broadcasting, means energy efficiency of as much as 43% according to the company.

Rohde & Schwarz says “this unprecedented high efficiency performance means an equally dramatic reduction in operating costs.” This is further enhanced by the liquid-cooled design, meaning that much of the heat can be dissipated in the outside atmosphere rather than requiring expensive air conditioning in the transmitter building. Together, it is a dramatic reduction in the carbon footprint, ensuring that terrestrial transmission is the sustainable delivery route in a connected world, according to the company.

Rohde will also return with a 5G Broadcast demo in partnership with Qualcomm Technologies. 5G Broadcast serves content to mobile devices without using cellular bandwidth, enabling new services like localized and pop-up channels. The company says 5G Broadcast also opens up valuable new revenue opportunities for transmitter network operators, like IoT data multicasting, for example to the automotive industry. 

“Minimizing the carbon footprint is a vital mission for everyone,” said Thomas Janner, Director R&D Broadcast Application at Rohde & Schwarz. “Transmitters have traditionally been power hungry devices, but we have been tirelessly working to refine the electronic architecture to maximize operational efficiency and minimize the power consumed. Added to that, the ability to introduce new services like 5G Broadcast to the industry, which will enable new business models, makes terrestrial transmission even more interesting,” he added. “We look forward to showing NAB visitors how R&S transmitters pave the way to a sustainable future.”

Rohde & Schwarz will be in Booth N1949 in the North Hall of the LVCC.

MUNICH—Claro, the biggest mobile operator in Brazil and Latin America, Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. partnered in a demo at Open Rio 2023 that showed the potential of 5G broadcast to drive new business models and transform the way content is delivered. 

The demonstration featured a live signal transmitted over-the-air from the Claro booth to a smartphone form-factor test device from Qualcomm Technologies. Live content was transmitted using a 5G Broadcast signal over-the-air, providing visitors with a taste of an advanced live mobile experience. 

The live 5G Broadcast streaming demonstration used Rohde & Schwarz's end-to-end 3GPP compliant solution, comprising a 5G Broadcast RAN enabled with R&S TLU9 transmitter and the Broadcast/Multicast Core Network powered by the Broadcast Service and Control Center (BSCC2.0). The input content was received from five live-feed cameras and transcoded using Ateme's Titan encoding solution. 

Built on the 3GPP Rel-16 feature-set, the 5G Broadcast solution operates in a Receive-Only Mode (ROM), Free-To-Air (FTA), and without the need for a SIM card (SIM-free reception). Rohde & Schwarz demonstrated the 5G Broadcast dedicated mode in action, with a standalone mobile broadcasting infrastructure. 

"5G Broadcast technology has the potential to transform the way content services are delivered without compromising existing mobile cellular services,” said Manfred Reitmeier, VP broadcast and amplifier systems at Rohde & Schwarz. “We were excited to show Open Rio visitors what was possible with the current technology and give them a taste of a real-world 5G Broadcast scenario. We are proud to continue our collaboration with Claro and Qualcomm Technologies as we work to drive the technology forward and show partners and customers exactly what they can achieve." 

Broadcast/Multicast over 5G opens up a variety of service models beyond linear and live content distribution, giving network operators and media content access to a new world of content and data delivery options, the companies said.

The technology can also reach large numbers of consumers without affecting existing cellular 5G mobile networks. Venues and the automotive sector are particularly suitable for new consumer applications, while the high power, high tower free-to-air/no-SIM operation enables emergency services and national authorities to more securely deliver public messages during natural disasters or emergencies. 

FORT MYERS, Fla.—5G cellular service is widely available in populated areas and starting to have an impact on broadcasters from acquisition to distribution. Think “5G” and you’ll most likely think of fast smartphone downloads, home internet service or 5G bonded (or aggregated) cellular systems in a way similar to 4G bonded/aggregated cellular. But 5G is different and will be much more different as standards evolve.

5G for Acquisition
Using mobile network operator (MNO) cellular networks for acquisition is nothing new. 4G was, and in some areas, still is how a remote signal gets back to home base. However, 5G offers advantages in data rate and latency to enable 4K UHD, but not as much as you would think. Cellsmart’s mid-2022 “Global Cellular Performance” study of real-world conditions found that, globally and on average, 5G upload speeds only showed an increase of 55% to 31.27 Mbps over the 4G global average. This is in contrast to 5G download speeds of 241.61 Mbps. 

“5G is prioritized for downloading—upload speeds are not significantly maximized,” said Rob Waters, global director of sales at Dejero. “For our 5G bonded systems, it’s all about the lowest latency with the highest bandwidth, that’s where multiple antennas per modem really comes in as a powerful weapon.”

However, Dan Pisarski, CTO at LiveU adds that “there’s still a few other tricks up 5G’s sleeve. “The 5G protocol’s fixed deterministic latency of the network is an overlooked gem,” he said. “With MEC [multi-access edge computing], for example, latency can go from 60 ms to below 10 ms. The challenge is the entire latency budget. But taking the first hop to sub 10ms, we can increase redundancy by adding a bit more latency. This provides exciting applications for broadcasters.”

The Cellsmart study also showed that the cellular frequency being used has a significant impact on upload speeds. “Where results have been taken in areas with mmWave, there are dramatically different results including downloads in excess of 800 Mbps, uploads in excess of 250 Mbps and latencies of sub 10 ms.”

According to TVU Network’s founder and CEO Paul Shen, the upload speed you get depends on where you are. “Unless you’re in a populated area, you won’t see 5G mmWave deployment. Suburban and rural areas don’t present a financial incentive for telcos to use mmWave. Plus, some versions of 5G with sub-6 Ghz deployment use the same spectrum as 4G/LTE.”

While LiveU, Dejero and TVU have different technologies for 5G, there’s one thing all three agree on: For the end-user, operating 5G is basically the same as operating 4G, whether it’s someone acquiring footage or the organization receiving that footage. All three are seeing interest in 5G from similar populations. “Both existing 4G customers and those producing sports in 4K are looking strongly at 5G,” said Shen. “Existing customers are beginning to notice performance degradation using 4G, especially in mission critical situations.” 

It is a sentiment echoed by Waters. “Our existing 4G users are looking to upgrade and future-proof themselves. While 5G doesn’t give all advantages now, potentially it will as more 5G is rolled out. Plus, sports producers want to use 5G instead of satellite.”

5G offers greater reliability than satellite with 5G at over 95% vs. traditional satellite at 90%, according to Shen. “News is great at adopting new technologies,” added Pisarski. “The day after any MNO makes an announcement, we get calls asking ‘can we use it?’ from our news users.”

There’s another consideration for high-profile events: a private 5G stand-alone non-public network (SNPN). “Millimeter wave is very wide spectrum, so cell phone operators can easily dedicate service to a private network on an ad hoc basis,” said Shen. “We did that for an 8K project.”

Waters adds that private networks are the easiest to set up. “There’s no cable runs, giving you very short setup time.” 

It should be noted that MNO-based SNPNs are not the only type of private network—and most are in test and trail phases, according to Pisarski. “A real private network means somebody with their own hardware on a frequency they have access to.”

Pisarski is referring to CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service), spectrum from 3.5 GHz-3.7 GHz the FCC set aside for private 5G networks. This spectrum, along with SIM cards, can be leased from third parties that are licensed (priority access license or “PAT”) or used unlicensed (general authorized access or “GAA”), which is subject to the most interference. “All that’s needed is a popup antenna and a few computers to run the network,” he said.

5G for Distribution
This is where the phrase “5G Broadcast” comes into play, and it’s not the best term to describe how 5G can be used for distribution. Does “5G” mean the technology or the device? 

As MNOs’ 5G are unicast networks, there’s a difference between “a connected device” that sporadically sends requests for data needing to be downloaded and a significant number of connected devices that are all streaming content at the same time. The more devices simultaneously connected to a 5G cell downloading data, the less bandwidth each device gets, as they all have to share that unicast data capacity. 

Enter “5G Broadcast” from DTT broadcasters to 5G devices with an ATSC 3.0 (aka “NextGen TV”) receiver chip. 

“Today, the number of commercial smartphones with an ATSC 3.0 chip is 0%,” said Mark Aitken, senior vice president of advanced technology at Sinclair Broadcast Group and president of ONE Media. “But ATSC 3.0 will find its way into billions of devices that require data of some sort: cars, phones, smart cities and more.” Aitken is a true believer in what ATSC 3.0 can bring to quality of life.

Aitken does, however, have a Mark One Android smartphone evaluation sample with an ATSC 3.0 receiver chip, giving him the ability to watch stations broadcasting ATSC 3.0. “We wanted a chip that could live in a mobile device, with its operation and power needs,” he said. “We wanted efficient web app coding, for it to draw less power and run on lower level devices.”

Watching an ATSC 3.0 station is as simple as tapping on an app. Sinclair has their own open source app, another is the NextGen Broadcast App. In addition to live TV, stations provide frequently updated weather, news or other content. 

ATSC 3.0 receiver apps are simple. “It’s A/344 of the ATSC 3.0 standard,” says Aitken. “It’s nothing more than a uniform ATSC 3.0 browser with HTML5.” According to the standard, “A Broadcaster Application is used herein to refer to the functionality embodied in a collection of files comprised of an HTML5 document, known as the Entry Page and other HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, image and multimedia resources referenced directly or indirectly by that document, all provided by a broadcaster in an ATSC 3.0 service.”

According to Aitkin, “Sinclair’s app has the same features as TV sets with ATSC 3.0 tuners, except it’s been adapted to the small screen with gesture swipes and wipes for navigation. This is really about a more ideal user experience. There’s less friction to the nature of access to services available...there is a quality aspect to the user experience.” 

Broadcasters as ‘Pseudo’ 5G MNOs?
Graziano Casale, senior sales manager for transmitters at Rohde & Schwarz agrees with Aitken that it’s all about a better quality of experience for the consumer. 

“ATSC 3.0 plays into the 5G ecosystem and vice versa,” he said. “The main benefit is that [MNO] 5G broadcast technology is in the same chip already in the device, while ATSC requires an additional chip.” 

Casale is referring to “5G Broadcast/Multicast,” which R&S and Qualcomm demonstrated at IBC 2022, but is not yet commercially available. It uses UHF spectrum to broadcast to 5G smartphones. While there’s potential for revenue, it comes at a cost.

ATSC 3.0’s 6 MHz does not comply with those in the current 3GPP 5G specification, the lowest being 3 MHz—that’s half your spectrum. 

Simply, 5G Terrestrial Broadcast shares the DTT spectrum to provide other services. You could sell that 3 MHz of spectrum to an MNO to deliver media from your transmitter using the 5G chipset already present in smartphones. Of course, that leaves you with 3 MHz for actual television, which today could be a 720p signal. But in the 3.0 future, 3 MHz should deliver more. 

There must be a reason for manufacturers and MNOs to want a 3.0 chip in 5G smartphones and other mobile devices. There will need to be more work done on 3GPP and a reason for MNOs to lease your spectrum. 

When it comes to 5G for broadcasters, it just depends on what you want to do and when you’ll be able to do it.

In my last column I took a look at the future of ATSC 3.0 broadcasting. This month I’ll talk about resources to learn more about ATSC 3.0 and revisit 5G broadcast. 

Early in the development of the standard, I wrote about how ATSC 3.0 works by explaining how guard intervals protect data from multipath, describing tools for calculating the tradeoffs between robustness and data capacity, exploring layered division multiplexing, and discussing the basics of OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing). 

Rather than repeat myself, I’ll share some websites and tutorials for more detailed, up-to-date and practical knowledge about ATSC 3.0. 

On the Web
The Pearl NextGen TV “Host Station Manual”  describes how to begin broadcasting ATSC 3.0, from program delivery to transmission. This guide has been used to successfully launch many of the ATSC 3.0 stations on the air today. The Pearl TV website also includes webinars on launching ATSC 3.0 that are available on request to broadcasters. 

For more in-depth technical information, SBE offers on-demand tutorials for SBE members. Members may also want to consider certification as an ATSC3 specialist. 

The ATSC 3.0 standard is very complex. If you want to understand the intricate details on how ATSC 3.0 works, dig into the ATSC 3.0 Technical Documents on the ATSC website for standards and recommended practices. 

ATSC 3.0 Recommended Practices lists documents dealing with ATSC 3.0 Field Tests (A/326), Guidelines for the Physical Layer (A/327) and more. The Physical Layer Guidelines (A/327) provides an excellent overview of how the ATSC 3.0 signal is generated and the trade-offs between different physical layer parameters. 

Visit the ATSC Implementation Guide: Emissions Testing Process for a checklist for ensuring ATSC 3.0 transmissions are functional and steps for dealing with receiver interoperability issues. 

With Your Transmitter
After learning how ATSC 3.0 signals are generated and about the different options for modulation and coding, you may want to do some experiments to see how they work. 

Experimenting with an on-air ATSC 3.0 station broadcasting the signals from multiple stations will likely be frowned upon. The solution is to set up your own ATSC 3.0 lab. This can be done using the Dektec DTU-315 USB-3 all-standard, all-band modulator or similar devices as I described in previous columns but there is a lower cost option for experimenters, albeit with some major compromises. 

Ron Economos, aka “drmpeg” researched the ATSC 3.0 standards and documents and built an ATSC 3.0 transmitter with a software-defined radio. I know it works because I was able to generate an ATSC 3.0 signal with his GNU Radio software and my Ettus B200 SDR and receive it on my HDHomerun ATSC 3.0 tuner. If the Ettus B200 is not available or too expensive, Chinese clones are available on aliexpress.com for under $600 and claim compatibility. Other lower-cost SDRs may also work with modification of the GNU Radio Companion flow graph.

 Ron’s github site has the software and some test streams. The software includes an option to add a second PLP using LDM. I had no problem getting that to work. As configured, the SDR will transmit on 429 MHz, or cable Channel 58. It can be changed to any frequency in the B200’s range. View the signal with the HDHomerun ATSC 3.0 receiver and the “hdhomerun_config” and “hdhomerun_config_gui”  programs. Step-by-step details on how I installed it on my Fedora 36 Linux laptop are in the winter edition (2022–2023) of the IEEE Broadcast Technology magazine. 

In the version I tested in December 2022, the software does not transmit LLS, which provides the signaling necessary for a receiver to recognize the signal, and it uses ATSC 1.0-formatted transport stream packets. It won’t work on TV receivers looking for the LLS and IP packets. The HDHomerun won’t find the signal in a channel scan but can be manually tuned.

If you have access to an MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 encoder that can add the basic ATSC 1.0 PMT and PID information, you can create your own ATSC 1.0 transport stream files. There should be a way to generate a compatible transport stream multiplex in software with gstreamer or ffmpeg but I haven’t found any examples on how to add the PMT and PID tables. 

At some point, after I add a Morse code IDer or figure out how to create a program stream with my ham call sign on it, I may hook this up to my outdoor discone antenna and see what the coverage looks like with a few milliwatts of ATSC 3.0. 

I’m especially interested in seeing how well the LDM robust layer works. While the SDR transmitter is based on the A/322 standard, using it with a full-power or Class A TV station probably isn’t legal, at least in the spirit of the law, as it won’t be compatible with existing ATSC 3.0 receiver designs. LPTV stations may have more flexibility in this area. Take a close look at the FCC rules and don’t forget the signal will have to meet FCC emission mask requirements. 

If you want to learn more about ATSC 3.0 inner workings, adding LLS and IP input capability (at least STL-TP input) to the program would be a great contribution.

ATSC 3.0 and 5G
In my last column I mentioned work being done by Rohde and Schwarz and Qualcomm on broadcasting content using 5G (3GPP) standards on UHF TV stations.  

I was overly optimistic about the ability of a TV station to transmit both an ATSC 3.0 A/322-compatible signal and a 5G broadcast signal on the same channel at the same time. Rohde and Schwarz has been participating in 5G broadcast demos at events such as IBC and Mobile World Congress so I asked them about this. 

The company said none of their tests have involved such a combination and while it is possible in a test bed configuration, such a combination is not currently supported by 5G broadcast and is not likely to be in the near future. These are two distinct and different physical layers. 

Qualcomm has been working to include 5G broadcast in its latest RF modem chips. The Qualcomm vision is outlined on its website, which had this comment on the 3GPP Release 16 enhanced TV standard: “It can be deployed in existing UHF spectrum (i.e., 470 to 698 MHz) that broadcasters already own or have access to, and its design allows the reuse of existing cellular modem building blocks.” More support for standalone 5G enhanced broadcast is planned for 3GPP Release 17 and 18 standards. 

If a system isn’t available that allows use of a channel for both ATSC 3.0 and 5G standalone broadcast, then at a minimum the FCC would have to eliminate the requirement for compliance with ATSC A/322 and any simulcast requirements before it could begin in the United States. It may be possible for LPTV stations to transmit 5G broadcast signals but depending on the characteristics of the signal, that might require a waiver. 

Over the next few years, if 5G broadcast is deployed on UHF TV stations it will be interesting to see its impact on free over-the-air TV and today’s TV broadcast system.

I welcome your comments, questions, and observations on the future of broadcast TV. Email me at dlung@transmitter.com. 

AMSTERDAM—Rohde & Schwarz is teaming up with Qualcomm to demonstrate a full end-to-end live streaming demonstration showcasing Broadcast/Multicast capabilities over 5G. During the show live content will be transmitted using a 5G Broadcast signal over-the-air giving visitors a taste of an advanced live mobile experience. The demonstration will offer insight into how network operators and broadcasters can leverage 5G Broadcast/Multicast to create new and innovative services across a wide range of business segments, while benefitting from high spectral efficiency and reduced costs, Rohde said.

The two companies also partnered on the 5G Broadcast/Multicast service demo at the NAB Show in April. 

The live 5G Broadcast streaming demonstration is formed by Rohde & Schwarz’s end-to-end 3GPP compliant solution, comprising a 5G Broadcast RAN enabled with R&S TLU9 transmitter and the Broadcast/Multicast Core Network powered by the Broadcast Service and Control Center (BSCC2.0). During IBC 2022, a live signal will be transmitted over-the-air from the Rohde & Schwarz booth, using Kathrein antenna systems to a smartphone form-factor test device from Qualcomm Technologies. The workflow will also leverage a filter provided by Spinner.

Built on the 3GPP Rel-16 feature-set, the 5G Broadcast solution operates in a Receive-Only Mode (ROM), Free-To-Air (FTA) and without the need for a SIM card (SIM-free reception). Rohde & Schwarz will show the 5G broadcast dedicated mode in action, with a standalone transmitter, operating within the UHF band. 

Manfred Reitmeier, VP broadcast and amplifier systems at Rohde & Schwarz, commented: “5G Broadcast technology has the potential to transform the way content services are delivered without compromising existing mobile cellular services. We are excited to show IBC visitors what is possible today with the current technology and give them a taste of a real world 5G Broadcast scenario. We are proud to continue our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies as we work to drive the technology forward and show partners and customers exactly what they can achieve.” 

“We are delighted to bring this collaboration with the Rohde & Schwarz team to IBC 2022 and show how the delivery of digital TV content over 3GPP standardized technology can look without the need for additional chipsets," said Lorenzo Casaccia, VP of technical standards & intellectual property at Qualcomm Europe, Inc. “Together with our new 5G R&D technology demonstration we have repeatedly proven that 5G Broadcast is here today and can be experienced first-hand.” 

The demo can be viewed at the Rohde & Schwarz booth (Stand 7.B21) at the RAI Amsterdam during the 2022 IBC Show, Sept. 9-13.

MUNICH—Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies will jointly showcase 5G Broadcast with an end-to-end streaming demonstration at Mobile World Congress 2022, Feb. 28-March 3, in Barcelona.

“5G Broadcast opens up an exciting new world for the mobile communication ecosystem, bringing with it unrivalled user experience, new revenue opportunities and innovative service models,” said Manfred Reitmeier, vice president broadcasting and amplifier systems at Rohde & Schwarz. 

The live demo will deliver content to smartphone devices and showcase broadcast/multicast capabilities over 5G. Content from Cellnex Telecom will be retransmitted using a 5G Broadcast signal over the air. It will include Canal 24h, a news channel from Spanish public broadcaster Radio Televisión Española; the main RTVE channel La1; and the Radio Nacional de España regional radio channel Radio 4. Spanish manufacturer Cires21 will provide the encoders to encode the content.

With 5G Broadcast, network operators and broadcasters can deliver new consumer experiences across a range of business areas, while enabling high spectral efficiency and reduced costs, it said.

For the demonstration, Rohde & Schwarz will provide its R&S TLU9 transmitter, supported by a Spinner filter and the Broadcast Service and Control Center (BSCC2.0) acting as a core network. A live signal will be transmitted out of the Rohde & Schwarz booth inside the Fira Gran Via over-the-air using sectorized antenna systems from Cellnex. A smartphone form-factor test device from Qualcomm Technologies will receive the 5G Broadcast transmission, the company said.

The 5G Broadcast solution is built on the 3GPP Rel-16 feature-set, operating in a Receive-Only Mode (ROM), Free-To-Air (FTA) and without the need for a SIM card (SIM-free reception). The 5G Broadcast dedicated mode will be demonstrated with a standalone broadcast High Power High Tower (HPHT) infrastructure while operating within the UHF band, it said. 

“Having the right network will be key to develop 5G Broadcast services,” said Ramon Salat, commercial broadcast director of Cellnex Spain. “Cellnex has the right combination of high and low towers to provide a good coverage for population and territory.”  

More information is available on the Rohde & Schwarz website.

See the 5G Broadcast demo at Mobile World Congress booth 5A80.

SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm has said it expects to begin commercial deployment of the new Versatile Video Coding standard next year.

The new standard, which was finalized last week, will be able to efficiently transport high-resolution content, such as 4K or 8K media, through mobile networks. It also supports HDR content and 360-degree videos.

“By 2022, 82% of internet traffic will be video. In our connected world of Netflix, Zoom calls and video sharing, video compression is an extraordinarily important technology area that people around the world rely on every day,” said Marta Karczewicz, vice president of technology, Qualcomm Technologies.

“Qualcomm Technologies is extremely proud of the great work our inventors and engineers have done in creating the core technologies that went into the VVC standard and driving the standard to completion in the middle of a global pandemic,” added Jim Thompson, executive vice president, engineering and chief technology officer, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“Qualcomm is an IP leader across so many different fields of technologies that facilitate people’s connected experiences on a daily basis. We change the way the world connects, computes, and communicates, and we’re excited to enable the new possibilities of video streaming VVC offers the world.”

SHENZEN, China—Three of the world’s largest manufacturers of consumer electronics have officially approved a new video codec designed to deliver high resolution video, including 4K UHD, 8K, VR, AR and HDR content. The MPEG-5 EVC standard is a video coding standard for ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG).

Huawei, Qualcomm and Samsung announced the approval of MPEG-5 Essential Video Coding (EVC) last week and said they will collaborate to promote the new standard and  “reaffirmed their commitments to offer fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms for their respective essential patent claims covering this standard.” The companies said they will announce their respective licensing terms for MPEG-5 EVC within two years.  

PLUS: 8K: Delivery Challenges and Industry Readiness

“The MPEG-5 EVC standard is expected to be a great video codec for emerging delivery protocols and networks, such as 5G, enabling the delivery of high-quality video services to an ever-growing audience by providing improved coding performance,” the companies said in their announcement.

WASHINGTON—This fee system is unfair. Now’s the time to fix it.

The National Association of Broadcasters didn’t use those exact words, but its latest comments to the FCC carry that clear message.

Most immediately, NAB is upset about a planned hike in regulatory fees that broadcasters must pay to the commission, especially about the impact on radio stations; it wants the commission to justify those increases clearly.

But more broadly the NAB is pressing the FCC to spread the burden around in future by charging other industries and organizations that benefit from its work, including wireless internet service providers and new tech giants like Google and Facebook. It says Congress recently opened the door by changing wording in the law that covers the fee process.

“The commission is not bound to collect regulatory fees solely from licensees,” NAB wrote. “[R]egulatory free riders leverage commission proceedings and the hard and ongoing work of commission staff to develop profitable business models without contributing regulatory fees. By expanding the base of contributors, the commission can significantly lower the regulatory taxes currently paid by some licensees while making its collection as a whole more accurately reflect the work of the commission and those who benefit from that work.”

This includes those who benefit from the FCC’s “significant and increasing level of attention to providing new opportunities for unlicensed spectrum. … As it stands now, radio and TV stations, among others, are paying for the FCC staff to handle this work.”

Among those who should pay, NAB said, are white spaces database providers and wireless internet service providers, as well as companies like Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Intel, Broadcom, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance and the Internet Association, all of which the NAB said have submitted numerous filings—in some cases hundreds of them—requiring a great deal of FCC work.

“To add insult to injury,” NAB continued, “many of those entities use this savings to fund so-called ‘public interest’ groups, who work to undermine licensees, creating even more work for the commission for which only licensees have to pay. … [B]roadcast stations also pay for commission efforts to consider allowing new unlicensed uses supported by Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Cisco, Intel, Qualcomm, Microsoft and Broadcom that risk interference to transmitters, networks and programmers use to cover live sporting events and breaking news.”

NAB said the FCC now has “a golden opportunity to modernize its fee schedule to more accurately reflect the work the commission performs,” thanks to recent changes in the RAY BAUM’s Act that eliminated the schedule of regulatory fees and specifically removed the reference to “licensees” as entities from which the commission should collect fees.

Regarding the currently proposed fees, NAB complained that the commission “has a checkered history when it comes to clearly explaining the basis for its collection of regulatory fees,” and that the latest proposed fee structure “suffers from the same confounding flaws.”

As TVT's sister publication Radio World has reported, the association made its feelings clear in a phone call in May with officials of the FCC’s Office of Managing Director. It reiterated the reasons in this written filing. While the overall FCC budget is expanding by 5.3%, NAB said, the impact on the radio industry is severe, with regulatory fee increases of 18–20% for most stations.

Among other objections, NAB tartly challenged FCC data on the number of radio stations subject to regulatory fees, saying it is way, way off. “It’s as if these 800 stations boarded Oceanic Flight 815, mysteriously never to be seen again … Or has the commission changed something in the way it determines which stations are considered payment units and which are not?”