Wallicast: private 5G for broadcasting sports and cultural events

Until now, traditional audiovisual broadcasting have not only required large, multidisciplinary teams on-site for planning, organization, and production, but the equipment was also costly. In addition, there was often need for a support vehicle and a satellite link. “Similarly, the logistics of transporting and setting up the equipment, not to mention coordination between teams, represented significant budgets,” Johnny Ressen, Broadcast Engineer at PMH, explains.

Pilot project

As part of its search for opportunities for innovation, and in association with Proximus Media House (PMH), a company specializing in the creation, enhancement, and broadcasting of audiovisual content, Proximus NXT responded to the call for projects launched by the Agence du Numérique (AdN) and funded by the Plan de Relance de la Wallonie (PRW). The result is the Wallicast project. Its main objective is to demonstrate the advantages of private 5G for broadcasting events by offering flexible and more cost-effective deployment compared with traditional infrastructures.

“As things are now, covering these events means mobilizing a lot of resources, both in terms of human resources and equipment,” Frédéric Renette, 5G Business Development Lead at Proximus NXT explains. “With Wallicast, we offer a mobile infrastructure deployed on a temporary basis, while the control room is remote. For example, the producer can control the cameras remotely using 5G.

Frédéric Renette mentions the ease of deployment with reduced teams. This results in lower broadcast costs, which is one of the major advantages of such a solution aside from the flexibility of the infrastructure and its durability. “It's not a question of innovation for innovation's sake, but of building a long-term solution that is sustainable and which can be replicated.

I'm convinced that Wallicast will revolutionize the way events are broadcast. Thanks to the deployment of a temporary private 5G network, we are able to offer not only the bandwidth needed to capture high-quality video streams but also the low latency required to control cameras remotely. This infrastructure can be used for both indoor and outdoor events,” continues Frédéric Renette.

Flexibility and reduced costs

In practice, a private 5G network comprising a network core and 5G radio antennas is deployed very quickly and flexibly. All the equipment is installed in a van with PMH's media infrastructure connected to the 5G network core, while the cameras are connected directly to the 5G network via a dedicated router.

“These projects will make it possible to determine the acceptable level of compression to guarantee sufficient image quality,” Johnny Ressen asserts. ”We also need to ensure that the different teams work together and speak the same language, which is not always the case with IT and telecoms specialists.”

Wallicast will also reduce the budgets associated with broadcasting these events, particularly in terms of energy consumption. There is no longer any need for a cooling system or generators to power the image capture site and a single person will be able to take care of installation and start-up. “Beyond the cost savings, sustainability is an important aspect of television production,” emphasizes Johnny Ressen.

Using 5G as an enabler

As a major Belgian player in 5G, especially in B2B, Proximus NXT is always looking for opportunities to innovate and intends to explore new ways of improving working methods and transforming existing processes. Responding to the Agence du Numérique’s call for projects in the mobility sector was therefore part of this innovation strategy. “We analyzed the areas of activity in which 5G was likely to bring real added value, and high-resolution broadcasting of events was one of them,” Frédéric Renette explains.

“This 5G pilot project will enable us to validate the solution technologically and ensure that it can be replicated and industrialized, particularly for broadcasting cultural events indoors and outdoors,” Frédéric Renette continues.

Full-scale tests

Wallicast is already being used live, with Proximus NXT and PMH having just completed two full-scale proof of concepts (PoCs), one for an outdoor hockey match and the other for an indoor volleyball match. “First of all, we're going to test the different formats to limit latency. It's important to remember that an indoor match presents different challenges to those of an outdoor competition. What's more, each venue has its own technical specificities, such as the availability of on-site fibre,” Mathilde Bonino, Strategic Project Manager at PMH explains.

As for the choice of events to be broadcast, Mathilde Bonino insists: “Sport is our core business at PMH and Wallicast makes it possible to broadcast less popular sports or those with a more regional audience.” The initial objectives have not changed, but these proof of concepts (PoCs) allow us to develop certain ideas.

Financing

This call for PoC5G project has been launched thanks to the Wallonia Recovery Plan. The aim of a proof of concept (PoC) is to test use cases based on experimental research using 5G. In 2023, the call for projects focused on four themes, including the industry of the future, connected rurality, mobility and logistics, and e-health.

“The objectives of this program are to make Wallonia more attractive, efficient, and competitive in terms of digital transformation, with the aim of supporting businesses and strengthening their scientific and technological potential,” Cécile Noël, Giga-region expert at the Agence du Numérique (AdN), in charge of coordinating the program, explains.

“5G SA is not simply an improvement on 4G but a completely new technology that offers greater fluidity and security and less latency. In fact, this technological revolution can be compared to the emergence of the internet or the arrival of the smartphone,” Cécile Noël adds. “That is why we support the roll-out of 5G SA both as a technological catalyst and as a lever for economic growth.”

Volleyball as a springboard

The Waremme Volley sports club was approached by the Belgian Volley League and offered to take part in a pilot project as part of Wallicast. “We are always looking for media support and visibility for our activities. We already have good coverage in the print media, but TV broadcasts would obviously be a plus, particularly on the local channel qu4tre,” Vincent Perin, chair of Waremme Volley, explains. But the current broadcasting systems are relatively cumbersome to set up.

Thanks to Wallicast, the volleyball match was broadcast using smaller teams and lighter, more compact and flexible equipment, resulting in lower costs. Vincent Perin described the quality of the broadcast as ‘amazing’. “The result has exceeded our expectations, and we're already keen to extend the experiment.”