Every day we are surrounded by more and more screens. The digitalization of services, the proliferation of audiovisual platforms of all kinds, technological innovation... All of this allows us to enjoy a more connected world with an almost inexhaustible offer of content.
Given this scenario of maximum complexity, Cellnex Telecom is committed to benefiting from the new facilities that 5G can bring to the audiovisual sector, but doing so by defending and strengthening essential assets offered by the Spanish and European audiovisual sector, based on national Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) licenses. These include national sovereignty and resilience, universal non-discriminatory access, innovation, contribution and respect for democratic systems, promotion of creativity and impact on culture and society, and commitment to sustainability. "These are some of the keys that we must preserve as a society so that we can enjoy the audiovisual services of the future with all guarantees," emphasize the wireless telecommunications infrastructure company.
The sector is aware of the possibilities, and threats, that arise with the plurality of content available in such a connected world, which is why it is joining forces to reflect and act to continue being a benchmark in innovation and service provision. In this sense, they have developed the innovation roadmap, which points to a way to adapt to the new reality without losing essential assets such as the free nature of the service. With an eye on 2040, three areas of action are set: a progressive migration to UHD, with examples such as the free transmission via DTT of the recent World Cup; an improvement in content hybridization, and a strategy to reach more devices such as phones, tablets, or cars.
In this third leg, we find 5G Broadcast, a technology to reach devices in motion with the best mobile and DTT technology, guaranteeing a quality service, without consuming data and using the current digital terrestrial television spectrum. One of its main advantages is that it does not need to send the signal as many times as there are viewers, but rather it is transmitted once for all receivers. "It is the most efficient way to distribute mass consumption content, maximizing both spectral and energy efficiency," Cellnex defends.
This technology can have various potential uses, such as being able to watch live TV content for free, reliably, and efficiently distributed. But it can have many more. For example, thanks to its ability to arrive immediately and its security, it can serve to articulate the communication tools of security forces and administrations to send alerts to the population in case of emergency or communication channels with citizens in times of crisis or in an eventual failure of traditional mobile phone networks. It can also be extended to vehicles, offering more entertainment for companions while driving, as already happens with radio. Finally, it can be a barrier against fake news that spread on the Internet and social networks, with the preservation of an audiovisual environment in which society trusts.
Many tests have been carried out to test the operation of this innovative technology, as well as to develop the associated service models. In Spain, Cellnex has carried out several pilots, the last one this very 2023, coinciding with two of the main technology fairs held in Barcelona, the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) and the Mobile World Congress (MWC). The pilot consisted of being able to retransmit, thanks to 5G Broadcast technology, three video channels and two radio channels, with the collaboration of RTVE and the CCMA, and to carry out reception tests on mobile phones from various scenarios in the Fira de Barcelona area and the Districte Fira. Rhode Schwarz, Ateme, and Qualcomm also collaborated.
With the 5G Broadcast pilot led by Cellnex at ISE and MWC, as well as all the others, it is confirmed that "the industry is investing money and resources in developing the technology, network design, and exploitation models that will allow for more and better services, more efficient while guaranteeing public service and non-discriminatory universal access, and all of this without the need for additional spectrum, as it can be developed complementarily and jointly with DTT."