TV2 and DR conduct a 5G Broadcast proof-of-concept with Rohde and Schwarz and Qualcomm in the context of the Tour de France

Rohde & Schwarz has recently taken part in a public demonstration of 5G Broadcast mobile content delivery. The proof of concept was made by Danish broadcasters DR and TV2, with special mobile devices provided by Qualcomm.

First stage of this year edition of the Tour de France has been held on Denmark. The tour started with a time trial in the capital Copenhagen on 1 July. TV2, the host broadcaster, offered specially tailored content on 5G Broadcast looking to increase audience engagement.

The advantage is that the content was not streamed over large numbers of one-to-one connections, but broadcast to devices which do not even need a SIM to receive it, eliminating network congestion and allowing broadcasters to retain the transmission rights.

For the TV2/DR demonstration, the transmission used a Rohde & Schwarz TMU9evo medium power UHF transmitter installed in Copenhagen for the project. Content was prepared by TV2 as part of its host broadcaster productions. Viewers saw the live, low latency broadcasts on smartphone-like devices from Qualcomm Technologies.

“5G broadcast is an exciting new way for consumers to connect to live video broadcasts wherever they are, adding to the experience and engagement of events like the Tour de France,” said Manfred Reitmeier, VP broadcast and amplifier systems at Rohde & Schwarz. “This was part of a continuing programme of demonstrations in association with Qualcomm to showcase what this technology can deliver, and we are grateful for the participation of DR and TV2.”

Lorenzo Casaccia, VP technical standards at Qualcomm Europe, added “This was a great demonstration of the way that 5G Broadcast can bring a new viewing dimension. People enjoyed the spectacle of the racing in front of them, while keeping up to date with all the action via their mobile devices, all without the frustrations of network congestion, and creating new revenue opportunities for broadcasters and content providers.”