Ericsson, in collaboration with 3 Denmark, TV 2, and Sony, has successfully trialed a live television broadcast of a high-profile football match over a 5G standalone (SA) network, leveraging cutting-edge millimeter wave (mmWave) technology. The landmark trial at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen marks a transformative leap in the production and consumption of live sports entertainment in Denmark.

The live broadcast was transmitted over 3’s 5G SA infrastructure, which is supplied exclusively by Ericsson and includes the dual-mode 5G Core solution, transport, and radio access network (RAN).

The trial was the first of its kind in Denmark utilizing 5G mmWave on a 5G SA network. New Radio-Dual Connectivity (NR-DC) combined 20 MHz of bandwidth in C-band (n78) and 800 MHz in mmWave (n258). The proof of concept tested four 5G broadcast cameras and one drone camera, each demanding 35Mbps and 100% uplink time from the network. However, enough capacity has been provisioned in the stadium to support full arena TV production in the future, supporting many times more 5G cameras to capture the action from a large variety of camera angles.

5G can greatly reduce barriers and improve efficiency for live broadcasters by removing the need for large onsite crews and tethered equipment, both in arena venues and remote locations. According to the GSMA, this approach can help broadcasters lower their production costs by as much as 90 percent, and could ultimately save the global media industry billions of dollars each year.

Sony’s advancements in 5G-enabled broadcast camera technology were also showcased during the trial.