LiveU And Neutral Wireless Showcase Pioneering Private 5G Workflows At IBC 2023

The Coronation of HM King Charles III saw the teaming up of the BBC with LiveU and Neutral Wireless to leverage the world’s largest single-use private 5G standalone (SA) network for reliable, high-quality live broadcasts. At IBC 2023, LiveU and Neutral Wireless are demonstrating the groundbreaking private 5G collaboration, showing the benefits of the network’s high-uplink capacity for live event coverage.
LiveU's advanced suite of live IP-video bonded connectivity solutions, including private 5G (P5G), are tried and tested for reliable performance in various use cases, such as large news and sports events where network conditions may be challenging, or in areas with no cellular reception.
At the Coronation, LiveU, in partnership with Neutral Wireless, provided a reliable and scalable solution for the BBC, FBS (Foreign Broadcast Services), and other world media outlets, overcoming many of the challenges normally associated with network congestion at large-scale live events. A Neutral Wireless private 5G network was deployed on a temporary basis to deliver extremely high reliability, availability, and utmost peace of mind to broadcasters – essential when the eyes of the world are watching! The private network enabled broadcasters to deliver live wireless contribution pieces from anywhere along The Mall, with coverage provided from Admiralty Arch to outside Buckingham Palace itself. The scalability of the network architecture also meant additional LiveU portable encoders could easily and swiftly be added in different locations. This was a great example of the broadcast use case for P5G networks, highlighting the benefits they can bring across large live events, such as concerts and sporting events, to name but two.
On Coronation Day, the spectrum used was made available from Ofcom using a Shared Access Licence and separate from the public networks.
Additionally, 20 international news broadcast outlets utilized the private 5G service for their Coronation coverage. This is considered very efficient use of radio spectrum to support so many devices from so many broadcasters.
LiveU's IP-video connectivity suite incorporates other innovative third-party solutions, including network slicing and the use of Low Earth Orbit satellites such as Starlink. These advanced connectivity solutions are part of the LiveU EcoSystem that spans contribution, production and distribution.
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