T-Mobile has deployed it’s cutting-edge 5G solutions at the PGA Championship to elevate the fan experience for the millions watching at home and hundreds of thousands at Valhalla Golf Club from May 15–19. Through T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions (ANS), PGA of America will leverage golf’s 5G private network in the U.S. to enable operational efficiencies that bring unprecedented broadcast viewing experiences for golf fans everywhere. Plus, T-Mobile is enhancing the experience for spectators onsite with network slicing and the nation’s leading 5G network. Fans will get:
- Enhanced views of Hole 13: For the first time in golf, 5G will be implemented into a live broadcast. Using the capabilities of a T-Mobile 5G private network, CBS Sports will be able to use 5G-connected cameras for new angles of the iconic Hole 13, and cinematic quality footage, giving fans more hero shots of their favorite players at Valhalla.
- More content with the T5G Range Live Show: Fans can watch brand-new pre-championship coverage live on PGA digital and social channels. T-Mobile’s 5G private network and 5G POV cameras will bring fans an exclusive, up-close look at the action on the practice range while PGA coaches and expert commentators provide valuable insights and analysis on the players’ warm-up sessions. Fans will also get detailed stats, including ball speed, apex, curve, distance and more.
- A Club Magenta experience on the course: Guests at Valhalla can get up close and personal with T-Mobile athletes like Tony Finau, Wyndham Clark and Max Homa in a live Q&A at Club Magenta, a VIP lounge with benefits like premium views and complimentary phone charging. And T-Mobile customers can flash their Magenta Status to get even more perks like Fast Lane access to the Club Magenta tent, free T-Mobile merch including chairs for the course AND Magenta cocktails.
5G Behind the Scenes
Producing a live broadcast like the PGA Championship in the face of variables like crowd size, traffic flow and the layout of the course is an incredible effort. It’s also a huge infrastructure lift for fans to have a good experience both onsite and watching from home. 5G is changing that thanks to:
- Streamlined operations with reduced wiring and cabling: More wireless cameras can mean the course is freed of thousands of feet of wiring and cabling, resulting in faster setup and teardown, and major cost savings potential. Plus, the private network is portable and can be deployed without a major installation effort. The 5G private network also adds capacity to make other systems — like security cameras or ticketing — wireless as well.
- Fiber-like data transmission speeds for broadcast quality video without the cumbersome cables: Wired, 4K cameras are confined to cables, so they’re limited in number, placement and mobility. And – until now – wireless cameras have been limited to HD versus full 4K resolution. Thanks to T-Mobile’s 5G private network and Sony PDT-FP1 portable data transmitters combined with Sony’s ultra-low latency encoders/decoders, Sony’s FX6 cameras are getting a glass-to-glass latency averaging under 100 milliseconds. These faster speeds open capacity to support more wireless cameras and give production teams creative freedom to provide new angles all around the course.
- Critical business operations powered through a network slice: By carving out a dedicated channel within the broader 5G macro network, a network slice can help optimize performance and increase the reliability of the concession payment terminals as well as ticketing scanners. This ensures they run smoothly and deliver peak performance and customer experiences, all while the fans onsite at the tournament use their phones without any interruptions.
