The 2022 Commonwealth Games, an international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, was held in Birmingham, England. This year’s event featured more than 5,000 athletes from 72 nations, 19 different sports and a private network provided by BT. Partnering with the BBC, BT trialed a Standalone 5G private network trial in Birmingham’s Victoria Square to screen the Queen’s Baton’s arrival live on BBC One’s The One Show.
“The Commonwealth Games has been a huge event for Birmingham, and the wider UK, and I’m thrilled that BT was able to play a part in facilitating the TV coverage that 300 million viewers across the globe were able to watch at home or stream on the move,” commented Faisal Mahomed, the director of BT Media and Broadcast. “Our teams are leading the way in implementing new technology that can have a positive impact for broadcasters, in particular by enabling them to deliver high quality content with greater efficiency.”
The games attracted large crowds, which would typically overburden a traditional network, making something like live streaming nearly impossible. However, BT, with help from Vislink’s 5G wireless camera technology, says it was able to connect live cameras directly and securely to a private network, resulting in the “delivery of smooth, uninterrupted video feeds, and the ability to interface directly into IP-based content delivery networks utilizing 5G internet connectivity.”
According to Vislink, its Mobile Viewpoint UltraLink-Air 5G cellular encoders allow camera operators to roam freely within the network area during an event, as opposed to relying on broadcast cameras that connect to the outside broadcast solely using radio (RF) signals that rely on proprietary equipment. The company’s CEO Mickey Miller commented that 5G wireless camera solutions provide “the ability to leverage a low-latency, uncontended network that enables a robust and reliable transmission platform for video capture, while serving viewing audiences an immersive experience that brings them right into the heart of the action.”
