A private 5G network deployed by QTV allowed coverage of Elizabeth II's last trip from Scotland

The producer QTV, based in Glasgow, deployed an innovative private 5G network to connect cameras used in coverage of the international broadcast of Queen Elizabeth II's final departure from Scotland through Edinburgh Airport on September 13.

The private 5G network was designed and deployed by the University of Strathclyde and its partner company, Neutral Wireless, and developed through a series of pioneering proofs of concept in 2022 as part of the Programa Acelerador de Innovación Mediática de IBC.

La “Operación Unicornio” (nombre en clave del protocolo a seguir tras la muerte de la soberana) marcaba que el ataúd de la Reina sería transportado por aire desde el aeropuerto de Edimburgo hasta la RAF Northolt. Esto creó la necesidad de una solución inalámbrica de alta definición, con capacidad de transmisión, que evitara el uso de cables a través de la pista del aeropuerto, al tiempo que mitigara las interferencias y garantizara la calidad del servicio.

Neutral Wireless' emerging 5G SA network was deployed for QTV within 24 hours of OFCOM licensing spectrum in the n77 radio frequency band (3.8GHz – 4.2GHz). The use of such a private 5G SA network at an airport is also considered a first.

Bob Stewart, from the University of Strathclyde and head of the University's Software Defined Radio team, says: “We believe the use of a dedicated private 5G network operating on Ofcom-licensed shared spectrum is a first for live TV news.”

"A spectrum license was granted in the n77 frequency band at Edinburgh Airport and the network was quickly deployed on the tarmac next to the runway to provide connectivity to a wireless camera position. The network operated live and without technical problems for nine hours," he adds.

QTV collaborated closely with national broadcasters for “Operation Unicorn”, which provided a global feed to television channels around the world, including content captured over the private 5G network.

Jack McGill, CEO of QTV, says that “the decision to deploy such a radically new solution emerged at the IBC show in Amsterdam, less than 48 hours after the events of September 13. Indeed, it is thanks to IBC's Accelerator program that 5G has been so robustly tested – including our own involvement in that process – and we were fully confident that it had reached maturity for live deployment at one of the biggest live events in UK history.”

The outdoor broadcast at Edinburgh Airport was also supported by Open Broadcast Systems y Zixi, as the former provided encoders and decoders, and Zixi provided licenses to use the software-defined video platform, Zen master control plane and protocol over 5G in the near term.

"Due to the scale of production in Scotland and indeed across the UK, technical resources were stretched to capacity. This small but important site was left without any traditional radio frequency systems for positions that could not be wired. The situation required new and innovative technological thinking to meet production expectations," he says. Gareth Gordon, CTO of QTV.

Cameron Speirs, commercial director of Neutral Wireless, emphasizes that 2this is a truly innovative technology, pioneering in Scotland, and it was thanks to the IBC Media Accelerator program that we had the proven use cases and the dialogue with all the right sector experts to make it a reality.