The “Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation” (CCMA S.A.) and the “Generalitat de
Catalunya” promoted for the first time two live video transmission with 5G technology on 11th September 2019, from within the Diada demonstration event, in Plaça Espanya, Barcelona. The aim was to test and validate the benefits and possibilities of the application of 5G in the audiovisual sector and more specifically in live television broadcasts. This was the first time that a television channel was contributing live video over the commercial 5G network from a real, public, open, and crowded environment across the state.
The Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (CCMA) made a leap forward in live
broadcasts and for the first time TV3 did broadcast live video received via 5G
technology from the mass demonstration convened by the sovereignist entities on
September 11th. This transmission was possible thanks to the initiative of the CCMA
and the Department of Digital Policies and Public Administration within the framework of the 5G Barcelona alliance. The broadcast was possible thanks to Vodafone’s 5G network, which provided the required connectivity through two of the 15 5G antennas it already had deployed in the city of Barcelona, specifically the two in Plaça Espanya. In addition to being the first time that a TV3 multi-camera broadcast included this technology for signal transport (image and sound), it was also the first time in the entire state that a television channel broadcast a live event via the commercial 5G network (i.e., already available) from a real public, open and crowded environment.
A TV3 team, located at the foot of the street from Plaça Espanya, was equipped with a Samsung 5G smartphone with the intend of capturing the point of view of the
protesters. The signal and the connection did not use the traditional connecting routes but through the Vodafone 5G mobile phone network.
In addition, the 5G network was also used to transmit the signal from another camera that was in a room of the Hotel Catalonia Plaza. This camera was connected to the TV3 headquarters via a Samsung 5G terminal and had a backup fiber optic, which meant a change in thinking, as usually the fiber optic is the primary link, and the mobile network, the backup or secondary.
Benefits of 5G
Thanks to this pilot, it was possible to test and validate the benefits of the application of 5G technology in the audiovisual sector and more specifically in mass live television broadcasts.
The transport of the signal by means of 5G in a real environment, as the Diada
demonstration, with a great concentration of people and, therefore, of mobile devices and data traffic, allowed to guarantee the quality of the connection and the retransmission in case of saturation of other available mobile networks, such as 4G.
The fact that the TV3 journalist was able to broadcast the image and sound signal from a minimal and light equipment (a state-of-the-art smartphone) gave the editor a lot of autonomy of movement and brought the retransmission to the public, as it allowed to approach the protesters in a less intrusive way.
The commitment to 5G
The participation of the Department of Digital Policies in TV3 first live 5G broadcast as a promoter and coordinator of the project through the “Centre de Telecommunicacions i Tecnologies de la Informació” (CTTI) was part of the commitment of the Government of Catalonia to 5G technology as an engine of transformation and digital innovation and for the promotion of its use within the Administration of the Generalitat and its public sector within the framework of the 5G strategy of Catalonia.
The initiative was carried out under the umbrella of the 5G Barcelona alliance
promoted by the “Generalitat de Catalunya”, Barcelona City Council, Mobile World
Capital Barcelona, i2CAT, CTTC, Atos and the UPC, to transform Catalonia and the
metropolitan area of Barcelona in an open and neutral urban laboratory that allows the validation and adoption of 5G technologies and applications in a real environment.
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