X-PLATFORM
November 2018
❝ The introduction of
5G could open up a
worldwide market with
millions of smartphones
and tablets acting as
potential TV receivers
able to combine live TV
services, media libraries,
social networks, and
many other media
services. ❞
— Manfred Reitmeiner,
Senior Director of R&D Transmitter Systems,
Rohde & Schwarz
distributed and consumed. For
example, body cams on athletes or
driver cams could offer real-time
virtual reality (VR) experiences,
which brings viewers closer to the
real thing.”
And on the consumption side,
he adds that the combined effect
of such live productions delivered
on multiple screens using the
best possible delivery mechanism
opens up new opportunities to en-
gage people and provide new view-
ing experiences. “5G — and even
4G — can play a role in delivering
such experiences over either fixed-
wireless last-mile connections
or full portability in mobile-first
societies,” he concludes.
A 5G test site for broadcasting
has been set up in the Bavarian
Oberland as part of the Bavarian
research project, 5G Today. Under
the leadership of the Institute for
Broadcast Technology (IRT), pro-
ject partners Kathrein and Rohde
& Schwarz (R&S) are investigat-
ing large-scale TV broadcasts in
the Further evolved Multimedia
Broadcast Multicast Ser vice
(FeMBMS) mode over 5G net-
works.
The project is supported by
associated partners Telefónica
Germany and Bayerischer Rund-
funk, the Bavarian broadcaster
who is operating the 5G FeMBMS
broadcast network as a test site at
its transmitter sites.
Manfred Reitmeier, senior
director of R&D transmitter sys-
tems at Rohde & Schwarz, explains:
“The aim of the research is to enable
the efficient distribution of broad-
casting signals combined with at-
tractive services in the network of
the future. The trial focuses on the
technical aspects, such as network
parameters, antenna design and
propagation models. Therefore,
field measurements, results analy-
sis and planning are demanded.”
Within the framework of the
5G Today research project, R&S
has successfully commissioned
the dynamic single-frequency
network (SFN) with FeMBMS sig-
nals in the lab. LTE broadcast, also
known as FeMBMS, was specified
in 3GPP Release 14 in mid-2017.
The upgraded standard supports
new options for broadcasting to
LTE-enabled mobile user equip-
ment such as smartphones and
tablets. It allows for the high power
high tower (HPHT) applications in
downlink only mode.
These new features make it pos-
sible to utilise the full signal band-
width for multicast and broadcast
applications. Moreover, 3GPP Re-
lease 14 defines an extended cyclic
prefix, corresponding to the guard
interval in DVB-T/T2, and modes
to enable operation without SIM
cards, which is necessary for the
broadcast application, says R&S.
The R&S FeMBMS transmis-
sion addresses broadcast appli-
cations for video and IP data in
HPHT topologies with band-
widths of 5MHz and 10MHz. With
this breakthrough, the company
emphasises its commitment to the
new technological perspectives
arising from the standardisation
of FeMBMS, thereby demon-
strating the potential held by 5G
broadcast for applications such as
TV services delivered to mobile
user equipment and connected
cars, and for the Internet of Things
(IoT) applications.
“We are not only talking about
5G broadcast — we are also in-
vesting in it, which underlines
the commitment of R&S into that
technology. The new 5G network
standard is a key technology for
the future when vehicles become
highly automated, and devices are
networked with each other in the
IoT,” Reitneier says.
“5G also offers great potential
for efficient distribution of media
content. The introduction of 5G
could open up a worldwide mar-
ket with millions of smartphones
and tablets acting as potential TV
receivers able to combine live TV
services, media libraries, social
networks, and many other media
services.”
He also sees 5G as having
“good chances” on the user side,
and elaborates: “5G broadcast
Partners of the 5G Today research project, including Rohde & Schwarz, test
broadcasts from the Wendelstein broadcasting station.
is an additional benefit on 5G
devices without additional effort
in the receiver and allows inno-
vative, attractive media services,
such as through the cost-effective
combination of traditional linear
TV with the growing market of
associated on-demand services.
“The cost of distribution must
be transparent, reliable and con-
trollable. Although it is easy to
think of the challenge of deploying
a 5G broadcast system as a link be-
tween a handset and a base station,
there is an extensive hierarchical
data infrastructure required to
enable data and voice services
around the globe. This deployment
management presents a significant
challenge and huge investment by
broadcasters and telecom opera-
tors alike.”
Although 5G has its advantages
in enhancing content creation and
distribution, more spectrum will
be needed to support wireless
carriers to successfully roll out
this technology, Rich Redmond,
president and managing director
of GatesAir, emphasises.
While 5G offers additional
payload, Redmond explains that
wireless carriers will not only
require more spectrum, but also
spectrum across different frequen-
cies. “Although higher-frequency
spectrum is available today for
many wireless carriers, the propa-
gation at lower frequencies is more
ideal for building penetration, for
example. That ultimately makes
network deployment more cost-
effective, so carrier demands for
more spectrum will continue,”
he adds.
This, however, is being alle
❝ 5G builds on what
people are doing today
in the mobile universe …
As the media landscape
evolves, 5G is the kind of
evolution that content
creators and service
providers need to deliver
greater capacity and
flexibility across mobile
networks. ❞
— Rich Redmond,
President and Managing Director, GatesAir
21
viated with the development of
the next generation of broadcast
standards — such as ATSC 3.0,
DAB Radio and DVB-T2 — which
are equipped with advanced com-
pression capabilities, and offer
audio and video delivery in de-
creased bandwidth requirements.
Hence, even as demand and
network capacity needs escalate,
Redmond believes that these
standards and technology will
enable the delivery of content with
smaller bandwidth requirements.
From the GatesAir develop-
ment standpoint, the company
has been moving down a path of
innovation with software-driven
exciters that allow users to mi-
grate to new standards. And when
this takes place from a spectrum
standpoint — moving from one
frequency to another — its broad-
band design allows relocation to
new channels to be “simple and
straightforward”.
For instance, the Maxiva XTE
exciter, at the core of GatesAir’s
modern TV and radio transmit-
ter portfolio, provides an upgrade
path without having to change out
a significant amount of existing
infrastructure, says Redmond.
Also, he does not view 5G as a
replacement for other distribution
methods, but is simply another
avenue to leverage for content
delivery. The one-to-one connec-
tion of most wireless networks
has significant limitations, espe-
cially when it comes to immediate,
real-time consumption of sports
events, breaking news and emer-
gency information.
He says that although this
is fine when splintering content
for consumers who are watch-
ing many different things, when
millions are viewing the same
programme at the same time, the
one-to-many broadcast model
remains the best avenue for real-
time rich media and compelling
content.
Redmond concludes: “The
continued evolution of mobile
infrastructure as a wireless data
network will allow the media and
entertainment industry to deliver
a broad variety of IP content to
consumers. This includes the
ability for content creators to
seamlessly distribute video, audio
and other digital services versus
having to go through cable or
satellite systems.
“5G builds on what people are
doing today in the mobile uni-
verse. Consumers worldwide are
watching video/audio content on
their mobile devices. As the media
landscape evolves, 5G is the kind
of evolution that content creators
and service providers need to
deliver greater capacity and flex-
ibility across mobile networks. It
is another pertinent distribution
method.”