Michael Moskob (Media Broadcast) and Markus Kurze (MSA)
The first test broadcasts are scheduled to begin in mid-June 2024 ahead of the official launch of the trial in August.
The project, announced in May, will be used to test various features of the new 5G Broadcast technology. The aim is not only to test the reception of audiovisual content on mobile 5G devices independently of Wi-Fi, internet and mobile communications. According to Media Broadcast, the technical range, reception quality and reception stability will also be tested and evaluated during the operation, adding that the trial is intended in particular to offer all interested parties the opportunity to actively engage with the new technology and test its added value for their own distribution strategy.
The technical and commercial possibilities of 5G Broadcast will be tested around the time of the Summer Olympics in Paris and thereafter. Among other things, the local TV channel MDF 1 licensed by MSA will be distributed as part of the project.
The Chairman of the Board of the MSA assembly, Markus Kurze, welcomed the venture: “For the first time, a local commercial television channel will be involved in the development of commercial 5G applications and thus make a contribution to the future prospects of digital terrestrial television.”
Media Broadcast has been working with 5G Broadcast technology for some time. The Cologne-based company was involved in the 5G Broadcast pilot project 5G Media2Go in Stuttgart together with SWR and is currently operating a 5G Broadcast test network in Hamburg together with NDR.
“We are on the threshold of the next technological development stage of terrestrial television. As with the switch from DVB-T to DVB-T2 HD, Media Broadcast aims to shape the future together with its partners,” said Francie Petrick, Managing Director of Media Broadcast.
Markus Schneider, Head of Product Management at Media Broadcast, added: “With 5G Broadcast, we are making linear, audiovisual content receivable on mobile 5G devices also outside the home – with a stable connection even with many simultaneous users and without television usage consuming the mobile customer’s data volume.”
