The 5G TODAY project has officially launched its unique field trial for 5G Broadcasting. The project partners with Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation (Bayerischer Rundfunk, BR), the Broadcast Technology Institute IRT, Kathrein, Rohde & Schwarz as well as Telefónica Germany to jointly test broadcasting options using 5G technology.
The new large-area 5G field trial in the Bavarian alpine region is covered by two high-performance transmitters located in Ismaning and on the top of the Wendelstein mountain. Both operate with 100 kilowatts of effective output power (technically: ERP). With the help of the high transmission towers and the high power of the transmitters (High-Power-High-Tower-Concept, HPHT), the large-area broadcasting of TV programs can be tested based on the new broadcast mode FeMBMS (Further evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service). The FeMBMS broadcast mode allows far-reaching and inexpensive distribution of popular content across large coverage areas with a radius of up to 60 kilometres.
The operation of the transmitters was started from a tablet in front of 160 guests from the telecommunications and media industry, who are participating in an accompanying two-day conference at IRT.
The 5G TODAY project wants to lay the foundation for the efficient transmission of broadcasting content in the 5G networks of the future. It has been supported by the Bavarian Research Foundation since 2017.
What has been lacking so far in the distribution of broadcasting content is an efficient and direct way of reaching users with live and linear content on mobile devices without additional costs for them. That is why BR together with IRT and three industry leaders launched the 5G TODAY project in 2017. The project will test how 5G broadcasting can be used to create an overlay infrastructure that can simultaneously serve millions of future 5G mobile devices. The aim is neither to burden the regular mobile networks nor to incur additional costs for citizens.
With its expertise in mobile communication and broadcasting technology, Kathrein can contribute its know-how from both areas. At the transmitter in Ismaning, an antenna system from Kathrein, which is designed for the distribution of broadcast signals to mobile devices, was integrated into the test field.
HPHT transmitters from Rohde & Schwarz are used for the 5G radio transmission. With this forward-looking concept, broadcasters can enjoy the same advantages in the distribution of video content over 5G networks as they do in classic broadcasting, such as high video quality, short latency times and long range. With high-performance transmitters, it is easy to make a decisive contribution to the operation of the field trial. The two test transmitters are operated as a Single Frequency Network (SFN) in channel 56/57 (750-760 MHz).
The test will provide important insights for research. IRT is coordinating the project and is developing a prototype FeMBMS receiver based on a Software-defined Radio (SDR) solution. In the future, this technology could be integrated into smartphones, tablets and TV sets for the reliable reception of live and linear content over 5G. The test receiver for the start event is kindly provided by the Institute for Communications Technology of the Technische Universität Braunschweig.
The test operation of 5G TODAY will run from now on until autumn 2019, after which the results and further exploitation of the findings will be evaluated. The project ends on October 31st, 2019. Learn more about 5G Today Project.
