Slicing and 26 GHz: the true broadcast potential of 5G, in 2024

Juan Cambeiro, expert in 5G Innovation with clients from the Innovation area of Telefónica Spain, advances how long-awaited concepts such as slicing or the 26 GHz band will arrive imminently to expand the concept of 5G and provide new opportunities and solutions to the broadcast world.

Since 2018, the year in which Telefónica began carrying out concept tests 5G technology In collaboration with clients, the vertical of Media and Television It has always been one of the most active, at the same level as industry 4.0, connected mobility or tourism and entertainment.

The promise of stable and prioritized connectivity, the greatest capacity for uploading information (uplink), the essential low latency in live and the possibility of using production software in the cloud, thanks to the capabilities of Edge Computing (near computing) of the operator, have always been the key ingredients in what has been understood as a revolution in the sector. The advantages are mainly two: on the one hand, greater flexibility and efficiency in TV production, which allowed broadcasters to reach broader markets that previously could not afford live broadcasts due to their high cost, and the generation of new content such as 360º videos, 8K formats, volumetric videos, or aerial shots from drones, which raise the level of immersive experiences.

He Network Slicing, initiatives such as Open Gateway, y ultra band coverages much They will contribute to the definitive consolidation of the use of 5G by broadcasters.

Of particular interest is the application of 5G at sporting events where current television coverage requires tremendously complex and high-cost technological solutions, such as golf tournaments, regattas, Formula 1 competitions, etc.

Proof of this interest are the multiple projects that Telefónica has been carried out for the broadcast of live shows with different televisions such as Movistar Plus+, the regional channel of Castilla-La Mancha, the regional TV of Castilla y León, or Televisión de Galicia, as well as collaborations in competitions such as the Acciona Open de España in Madrid in 2021 or the SailGP competition in Cádiz in 2022.

What moment are we in? Can we say that these 5G services for TV are already available in full? Or is something still missing? Missing?

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Secure network access

To answer these questions we have to talk about the current deployments of technologies such as 5G. StandAlone (SA) or 'pure 5G', functionalities such as Network Slicing, initiatives such as Open Gateway, y ultra band coverages much such as the recently awarded millimeter band (26 GHz), all technologies that will contribute to the definitive consolidation of the use of 5G by broadcasters.

One of the fundamental needs of broadcasters when using 5G is that the mobile network can guarantee the quality of communications when they need to retransmit. It is a common problem with current solutions based on the famous “backpacks”, transmitters that have numerous SIM cards to be able to absorb the greatest possible bandwidth, but they stop working correctly when they are in a saturated environment.

The functionality needed to solve this problem is the Network Slicing, a technology that is part of the 5G SA standard that most operators are already deploying in their current commercial networks. The Network Slicing or, to put it another way, the ability to make 'slices' in the mobile network, consists of breaking up the capacity of the mobile network to reserve one of those 'pieces' or 'slices' for specific services. This way, when a TV camera needs to send video, it would connect to a born of slice reserved for that type of services that would guarantee the connection.

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Slicing, in 2024

The technology of Network Slicing It not only depends on the networks, but it depends on the capacity of smartphones and modems (los 5G 'connectors' who carry the famous transmitter backpacks used by broadcasters) to be able to use this technology, since it is important that said slices be sent only traffic associated with the critical service (in this case, the video stream), while the rest of the traffic such as messages, web browsing, etc. keep going for conventional casters, as they will not require specific bandwidths or ultra low latencies in order to function correctly.

Given the evolution of the market smartphones, it is expected that features such as Slicing you can start enjoying throughout 2024.

Since mid-2022, Telefónica has already deployed a red 5G SA con restricted access since today the number of terminals that support 5G SA is still very reduced, while the deployment of coverage at 3,500 MHz (high-performance coverage essential for high-capacity services) is found in cruising speed with more than 2,000 sites deployed as of March 2023. Given the evolution of the smartphones, it is expected that features such as Slicing you can start enjoying throughout 2024. But there is another question that we need to answer: when it comes to enjoying the SlicingHow do I do it? How do I access this functionality?

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How can I access the slicing?

This is where the initiative led by network operators comes into play. GSMA and especially championed by Telefónica, Open Gateway, whose mission is to 'APItify' the network or, in other words, make the network's functionalities usable from third-party programs or platforms in a completely flexible and on-demand manner.

A television may request through a service management website Slicing: “I need these SIM cards to be prioritized for this afternoon”

For example, a television could request through a service management website Slicing “I need these SIM cards to be prioritized for this afternoon.” Or, in a much more integrated and automatic way, backpack and TV camera manufacturers could 'call' the mobile network through one of those Open Gateway 'APIs' to say “I'm going to broadcast, give me the traffic to a Slice TV “, without the camera operator having to do anything.

As we see, the 'APIfication' of Telco networks will provide unprecedented versatility when using the advanced 5G capabilities such as prioritizing communications through Slicing.

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26 GHz: the millimeter band

Finally, and as a culmination, to be able to enjoy these new contents that the 5G and broadcast alliance brings us, we have the new frequency band known as the “millimeter band” or the 26 GHz.

The 26 Ghz band will allow for bandwidths greater than 10 Gbps and will support the connection of thousands of terminals in one place.

This band, of which Telefónica has acquired maximum possible (1 GHz), will allow having bandwidths greater than 10 Gbps and will support the connection of thousands of terminals in one place. This functionality will be very important to make it possible for places like football stadiums viewers can enjoy enriched live content such as multi-camera views, replay of the last play, augmented reality views or 360º immersive cameras.

This last link is what will make it possible for the circle is closed of the new world of broadcast thanks to 5G, where not only is a more efficient retransmission of new content enabled, but it is also possible to mass consumption of the same in places of high concentration thanks to the great bandwidth that millimeter coverage will provide us, coverage that in the following years Telefónica will deploy on demand in high demand places o ‘HotSpots’ such as sports facilities with a large number of spectators.

Juan Cambeiro

Expert in 5G Innovation with clients in the Innovation area of Telefónica Spain.