Ian Wagdin, senior technology transfer manager at BBC R&D, talks to TVBEurope about the broadcasters recent deployment of a private 5G network, and the lessons learnt
By Jenny Priestley
Published: August 18, 2022
Ian Wagdin, senior technology transfer manager at BBC R&D, talks to TVBEurope about the broadcaster's recent deployment of a private 5G network, and the lessons learnt
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
During the Commonwealth Games, the BBC tested 5G standalone non-public networks to provide live pictures from the centre of Birmingham.
Ian Wagdin, senior technology transfer manager at BBC R&D, talks to TVBEurope about what happened, and the lessons learnt.
Why did you take the decision to trial using 5G during the Commonwealth Games rather than an event like the Women's Euros? The Commonwealth Games is an ideal event with lots of activity over a long period from a fixed location. We knew we would have the ideal test conditions but also the ability to plan ahead and work with various teams to deliver their requirements. We started thinking about this trial before Christmas and worked with multiple teams both internally and externally to deliver a complex trial.
Had you done any testing before The One Show broadcast? We worked with BT and Vislink/Mobile Viewpoint to test the theory in the labs. We have also done some work on our own NPN in partnership with the University of Strathclyde. Up until now, these have been more focused on low latency applications for radio cameras, rather than the contribution workflow and how you might deploy this type of solution to support newsgathering and colour pieces around a major event. We have also piloted similar projects in partnership with the IBC Accelerators, but all of these have been one-off isolated trials using bespoke technologies and not a multiday deployment using commercial equipment.
The One Show's Richie Anderson live in Birmingham Was that the first time 5G has been used on a non-sport broadcast? We have used the public 5G networks since they became available in 2019, but this is the first time that we have deployed a standalone non-public network of this type. Public networks do provide a step up in the current technology, but they suffer from some limitations in that they are often reliant on 4G cores as well as being used by the public. By deploying the network in this way, we can guarantee quality of service as well as tune the network for greater uplink capabilities. We are also able to tune our coverage area so we can be sure of where our cameras will work and where they may be less reliable.
Who were your partners on the trial, and why did you choose to work with them? The network has been provided by BT Media and Broadcast and the camera encoders by Vislink's Mobile Viewpoint. BT are keen to explore the commercial and regulatory model for this type of solution and Mobile Viewpoint have a long history in bonded networks as well as the Vislink expertise in broadcast radio cameras, which means we could test multiple aspects of the solution.
Were you able to use network slicing? We did not need to deploy network slicing as part of this trial as we only had two devices with a dedicated uplink of 150 Mbps and there would have been no benefit in slicing the network. We are working on other projects that do benefit from slicing both on public and private networks.
How did the trial go, were there any surprises? The trial went better than expected with coverage proving more robust than we had anticipated. We were also able to explore behaviours such as cell hand over and roll over to the public network. As with all experimental technologies we wanted to measure a lot of edge use cases. Mobile networks behave differently from traditional broadcast diversity networks and this led to some issues with cell handover - we are working to better understand how this could be managed.
The BBC's network is in N77 spectrum centred on 4050 MHz, which enables it to tune for better uplink What was the biggest challenge? The biggest challenge with this type of project is to define and keep within scope. We took some conscious decisions to work on areas that had not been tested to date and not replicate previous work that has been done previously. As an industry, we have been very joined up with lots of sharing of outcomes though groups such as 5G MAG and the IBC Accelerators, and we are working with multiple partners to identify what worthwhile tests and trials look like.
Did you have RF backup in case of any problems? As this was an R&D trial, we were clear from the beginning that we were not broadcast critical. The BBC deployed both RF and bonded cellular over the period of the games to support its broadcast requirements.
Do you have plans to test the technology again soon? If so, when and what for? We are working on several 5G projects including the 5G Records project, which we will show on the EBU stand at IBC, as well as on some IBC Accelerator trials that build on what we have learnt from previous years. We also have our own NPN which we would like to use. We have proven the technology but there are some commercial and regulatory issues that need to be better understood to support this type of deployment. We are in close conversations with several broadcasters on how this technology may be deployed in the future.
What do you view as the future of 5G in broadcast production? There are several areas where 5G could benefit production. 5G is an IP based technology and while traditional RF is very well understood, as we move from digital to IP based workflows we want to start to take advantage of this. We want to explore how we may be able to use the backhaul for reverse channels such as camera control, talkback, prompters, tally lights etc, as well as how we can integrate wi
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
23/07/2026
Illusionfx is finally coming!
Alex Perea July 23, 2026
0 Comments
The new website is now live to mark the occasion.
Since the last update, feedback h...
23/07/2026
Evergent (5.A86) will showcase its Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform for streaming services, sports leagues, pay-TV operators at IBC2026 (RAI Amsterdam, 11...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
David Dvir, 2D founder (left), Sundeep Reddy (center), and Jean-Marc Bouchut (right), both of Zeiss...
23/07/2026
Screen Australia announces new national documentary accelerator program 23 July 2026
Screen Australia has today announced the Above the Line Documentary Accel...
23/07/2026
RT Commercial has today announced Centra as the official food partner once again of The Traitors Ireland, coming to RT One and RT Player later this year.
Ce...
23/07/2026
RT Commercial today announced Honda as sponsor of Today with David McCullagh RT Radio 1, weekdays 9am 11am.
Broadcasting directly after Morning Ireland in ...
23/07/2026
RT News is pleased to announce Barry Gallagher has been assigned as the new journalist covering news from Cork, Kerry and the wider Southern region
Working al...
23/07/2026
Lock in and load up the cloud. GFN Thursday brings fresh updates and new adventu...
22/07/2026
Among other tweaks to coverage, the broadcaster added announce positions in the ...
22/07/2026
The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has reported a sharp acceleration in Australia's sportstech sector, with revenue growth rising from 10% in...
22/07/2026
From a retrofitted broadcast bus to packed Match Day Live! events, Bennett detai...
22/07/2026
TMRW Sports has named Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football, where he will lead the company's professional flag football business in partnership with ...
22/07/2026
Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) designed and produced soundtracks for nine projection...
22/07/2026
Harmonic has announced a $25,000 donation to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) fo...
22/07/2026
Telemundo has announced it has acquired from UC3 exclusive U.S. Spanish-language...
22/07/2026
The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards, ...
22/07/2026
Sports Studio has announced a partnership with TheSoul Group to distribute Free ...
22/07/2026
Daktronics has concluded its 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day hybrid event combining virtual sessions with hands-on host school visits across the countr...
22/07/2026
FOR-A America will exhibit at the MMCA Show in Pensacola, Florida (July 21-24), marking the company's first appearance at the house of worship AV event. FOR...
22/07/2026
The New York Yankees have selected Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) to connect Ya...
22/07/2026
Calrec will exhibit at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.C47) with demonstrations of its IP-native audio ecosystem built around the Argo console range, and will announce two ne...
22/07/2026
Solid State Logic has announced the appointment of Algam EKO as its distributor for SSL large format consoles in Italy, covering the Live, Broadcast, and Studio...
22/07/2026
FloSports has announced the launch of the FloSports Channel, a free ad-supported streaming channel premiering on Prime Video in the U.S. on July 21. The channel...
22/07/2026
Banana Ball TV (BTV), the broadcast operation of the Savannah Bananas, has insta...
22/07/2026
SiriusXM and Audacy have announced an agreement bringing 42 Audacy sports, news, and talk stations from 29 U.S. markets to SiriusXM. Twenty-three Audacy sports ...
22/07/2026
The collaboration produced more than 500 short-form videos across four cities th...
22/07/2026
At 2,600 sq. ft., the new home of digital content houses a main studio, podcast space, and an auxiliary control room
NFL franchises are accelerating their prod...
22/07/2026
Library now available in Engine Player
Another of Eduardo Tarilonte's popular sample libraries has just been moved over to Engine Audio's Engine Pla...
22/07/2026
All-in-one mic & DSP interface overhauled
Cloudvocal have just refreshed the design of their all-in-one mic, audio interface and DSP processor, introducing ...
22/07/2026
The final boss of the lost dual-op-amp circuit
Electro-Harmonix have just introduced the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2, which they say offers their latest take on t...
22/07/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Proven managed IP solution helps broadcasters confidently navigate the future of broadcast distribution
LTN announces it has completed successful satellite-to-...
22/07/2026
Today, Chaos announced V-Ray 7, update 4, eliminating the need for asset conversions and tool switching, which slow down media and entertainment pipelines. Arti...
22/07/2026
An AI playground for the Project Indigo camera app
Marc Levoy July 22, 2026
0 Comments
At left is the user interface of our Playground, running on an ...
22/07/2026
Custom Consoles announces the completion of a large technical furniture project for Radio T l vision Suisse (RTS) at the networks recently inaugurated productio...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Culver City, CA, July 21, 2026 3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced glTF intake, including the binary .glb form, to its spatial streamin...
22/07/2026
Documentary Lo Invisible Captured with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's versatile design allowed filmmakers to c...
22/07/2026
AAF Bridge converts AAF and XML Timelines to Ableton Live - and back
Jerome Gardier July 21, 2026
0 Comments
A two-way converter for macOS and Windows...
Ian Wagdin, senior technology transfer manager at BBC R&D, talks to TVBEurope about the broadcasters recent deployment of a private 5G network, and the lessons learnt
