Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom have announced the installation of a private 5G standalone (SA) network for the media company RTL Deutschland, which will be operational just in time for the 2024 European Football Championship. With this implementation, RTL Deutschland becomes the first media company in Germany to provide 5G to its production studios through Ericsson’s own 5G SA network.
The new 5G infrastructure is designed to revolutionize television production during the European championship, allowing the use of wireless cameras both indoors and outdoors. This shift from traditional cable equipment to wireless cameras will offer greater flexibility and versatility in the television production of the event.
The internal private network provides an optimized infrastructure for superior performance and dynamic environments, supporting data-intensive applications with ultra-short response times in the millisecond range. In addition to wireless cameras, the network will enable the operation of wireless microphones, a wireless intercom, and exclusive internet access in the future. Other relevant systems for production will also be tested through 5G.
Matthias Dang, Chief Commercial, Technology, and Data Officer of RTL Deutschland, commented: “RTL Deutschland produces its essential content with exceptional quality. In partnership with Deutsche Telekom, we now operate an independent 5G mobile network at our broadcasting center in Cologne to bring our high-reach content to our viewers and users even more conveniently and efficiently. This is another step in our innovation partnership”.
Klaus Werner, Managing Director of Business Customers at Telekom Deutschland, added: “RTL is an innovative partner with whom we can jointly develop our products and solutions and bring them to market maturity. Thanks to its standalone 5G network architecture, the 5G Campus network meets the particularly high requirements of live television production and offers important features such as minimal response times and high bandwidth”.
The 5G private network will not only be installed in two RTL studios, but also in a surrounding public viewing area covering over 35,000 square meters, allowing RTL to provide uninterrupted coverage both indoors and outdoors. This will ensure seamless live transmission, even if public mobile network lines are busy. Deutsche Telekom and RTL have already successfully tested live transmission through the public Telekom 5G SA network with network slicing for on-the-move reporting.
Daniel Leimbach, Head of Ericsson’s Western Europe Customer Unit, stated: “5G is transforming media production for major events and promises unforgettable experiences for fans this year. This technology creates new revenue opportunities for operators and revolutionizes the broadcaster experience, enabling smooth and high-quality media production that enhances the sports entertainment experience for fans, both at event venues and at home”.
The 5G SA network operates independently from the public mobile network. All infrastructure, from antennas and active system technology to the core network, comes from Ericsson and is locally installed in Cologne-Deutz, ensuring that all data traffic remains on-site. For the private network, a total of six antennas were installed: two outdoor, one temporary-use, and four indoor.
The network provides a high upload bandwidth of around 500 megabits per second (Mbit/s) for live productions, as well as ensuring latency of less than 25 milliseconds. The 5G SA network operates at frequencies specifically reserved for RTL Deutschland in the 3.7 to 3.8 gigahertz (GHz) range, providing an exclusive bandwidth of up to 100 megahertz (MHz).