During the match that has been dubbed ‘The Gateway to Europe’ as its winner qualifies for the Europa League, technology company and service provider Citymesh, leading media services provider NEP and Sony carried out on behalf of media group DPG Media, a 5G technology trial using a private network.

"This demonstrates the power of 5G for low latency applications. By deploying a local private 5G network, we avoided congestion with a packed stadium and were able to return the footage locally to the media compound, ensuring even lower latency. It’s a real pleasure to collaborate with NEP, DPG Media and Sony, partners who are always pushing boundaries. Citymesh is proud to lead the way in enabling cutting edge broadcast innovations to provide the public with an even better experience," says Carlo Waelens, General Manager of Citymesh Temporary Solutions.

“The success of this trial is made even greater with context,” says Kurt Galens, Technical Producer for DPG Media. “Taking place in an outdoor stadium with a seating capacity of over 50,000, and an eager audience to fill it, the consistent performance achieved demonstrates that the utilisation of 5G in event broadcasting is practical and has the potential to be used as a trustworthy alternative for legacy workflows.”

A Modern Workspace
On the day of the match, the trial consisted of two separate workflows that both utilised the private 5G network set up by Citymesh. The first consisted of Sony FX3 camera equipped with the data transmitter PDT-FP1 which uploaded images through the network directly to the cloud, allowing NEP Europe’s engineering team in Belgium to test, review and check the efficiency of that workflow. This setup acted as the first response in a sense, allowing for instantaneous content distribution on the day of the match. The second workflow, consisted of a Sony FX9 full-frame camera equipped with the CBK-RPU7 remote production unit, which was then connected to a PDT-FP1 that enabled maximum utilisation of the 5G connectivity from Citymesh. At the other end of this connection, the NXL-ME80 (Media Edge Processor) decoded the signals and handed them over to NEP’s OB van that was based outside the King Baudouin Stadium.

“At NEP, innovation means teaming up with our vendors and technology partners to explore smarter, more efficient ways to create and deliver content. This time, we turned to privatised 5G networks to improve signal quality and drive down the cost of getting content from point A to B,” says Geert Thoelen, CTO for NEP Belgium.

“We are delighted to be so closely involved in this successful proof-of-concept 5G trial in Belgium over the weekend, the first of its kind,” says Hector Sierra, Regional Sales Head, Sony Europe. “At Sony we strive to produce innovative technology that can maximise efficiency for production workflows without impeding on the quality of service, and that is exactly what 5G can provide. This trial now joins a growing list of other 5G trials that have been a proven success.”