5G tech trial held at Belgium Cup Final

The Belgium Cup Final at the weekend between Club Brugge and Anderlecht (which was won 2-1 by Club Brugge) used 5G tech extensively for the production and broadcast of the match.

Technology company and service provider Citymesh, NEP and Sony carried out the 5G production trial on behalf of media group DPG Media.

The 5G technology trial used a private network set up by Citymesh, and consisted of two separate workflows that both utilised the private 5G network.

The first workflow centred on a Sony FX3 camera equipped with a data transmitter (the PDT-FP1), which uploaded images through the 5G network directly to the cloud.

This setup enabled 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 connected to the PDT-FP1 data transmitter. At the other end of this connection, the NXL-ME80 (Media Edge Processor) decoded the signals and distributed them over to NEP’s OB van, based outside the King Baudouin Stadium.

Carlo Waelens, general manager of Citymesh Temporary Solutions, said: “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.”  

 Kurt Galens, Technical Producer for DPG Media, added: “The success of this trial is made even greater with context. 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.”  

Geert Thoelen, CTO for NEP Belgium, said: “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.”

Hector Sierra, Regional Sales Head, Sony Europe, added: “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. 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.”