IBC2022 Tech Papers: 5G trials and tribulations

Abstract

DCMS 5G Testbeds and Trials-funded VISTA investigated in-stadium coverage for sports where an ‘action replay’ from multiple angles adds to the watching experience.

VISTA considered the use of the Further enhanced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (FeMBMS) with on-site 5G New Radio (5GNR), Multi-access Edge Computing (5G-MEC) and containerised media encoders.

VISTA has developed a Mobile Network Operator (MNO)-approved, mobile-friendly live media broadcast chain for stadia.

This paper, 5G Trials and Tribulations, sets out what VISTA aimed to achieve, how it achieved those aims and some of the problems along the way.

Introduction

Big stadium events are attended by large numbers of people and the technology choice to distribute contentis limited. Wi-Fi doesn’t scale and can’t cope with the user density. Cellular technologies can fix these issues but are costly and have a long return on investment (ROI), especially in a stadium which is only used for a relatively small proportion of the time.

Stadia offer an ideal environment to test FeMBMS and provide one of those, increasingly infrequent, opportunities where the viewers are watching the same thing ‘live’ simultaneously, albeit with a degree of personalisation.

The VISTA team ‘players’ changed. Covid hindered progress and media rights were tricky. It was a rollercoaster ride, but in the end the 5G VISTA team found a way of making FeMBMS work for all involved and provided eco-friendly, experience-enhancing content into stadia.