NPO, the public broadcaster in the Netherlands, and Dutch technical services provider Broadcast Partners are giving a 24/7 live 5G Broadcast demonstration during IBC 2024 in Amsterdam.
NPO is the first broadcaster in the Netherlands transmitting via 5G Broadcast to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology.
The 5G Broadcast technology is ready to roll out, standardisation is practically completed, and trial operations have been underway for several years, according to NPO and Broadcast Partners, a subsidiary of telecommunications infrastructure operator Cellnex. According to the companies, the first smartphones with essential features of 5G Broadcast have already been developed and are demonstrated during IBC 2024.
NPO decided in 2023 to collaborate on 5G Broadcast activities to further define broadcast services and capabilities together with other leading broadcasters in Europe. The broadcaster is now taking the next step by demonstrating the capabilities during IBC, technically facilitated by NPO’s FM and DAB+ network services provider Broadcast Partners and the suppliers Nakolos, SYES and COM-TECH.
Two broadcaster’s two channels NPO 1 and NPO 3FM will be transmitted via the 150m high Cellnex RAI Amsterdam broadcasting tower from 13 to 16 September and will be available outdoors and indoors during the IBC 2024. In addition to the demonstration for IBC visitors at the Broadcast Partners/Cellnex stand (8.A91) and Nakolos stand 7.P46, the trial will also serve to optimise the transmission parameters for a possible future field trial, according to the partners.
“5G Broadcast is a great opportunity for implementing live video and audio into a smartphone that drastically saves mobile data usage. And although many of us rely on the internet as a lifeline, broadcast is still essential for emergency communication due to its robust independent network, its high availability and its lower vulnerability to cyber-attacks. As one of the founders of 5G-MAG we are happy to show 5G Broadcast across Amsterdam during IBC 2024,” said Jildert de Groot, Chief Technology Officer at NPO.
