Goals
The goals of the Project are divided into two main activities. The first is a study on how 5G technologies, and 5G Broadcast in particular, can help provide solutions to meet the growing demand for audio-visual content, with increasingly challenging quality and usability requirements. The second is to support the Mise in the preparation of technical specifications for the activation of specific 5G and audio-visual calls for tender.
Impact
The increasing demand for audio-visual content in linear and on-demand mode, in better quality, on all types of terminals, and in mobility scenarios cannot be met with current or future technologies, such as DVB-T2. It is therefore necessary to assess how 5G can foster the creation of an environment for the production and distribution of audio-visual content, including for innovative services and scenarios, using investment tools that are a stimulus for the sector.
Description
As part of the Project, the research activity intends to investigate Broadcast, but also Multicast/Unicast solutions and their combinations, which aim to overcome the limitations of current telecommunication networks and enable them to cope with the growing market demand, analysing the specific capabilities that 5G makes available for this purpose.
In particular, the various solutions offered by 5G will be analysed, as well as their respective advantages, also compared to current techniques, considering specific cases of use and the potential offered by what is available, defined or being defined in the relevant regulations. In particular, the study will investigate the radio component of 5G systems for broadcasting audio-visual content, with reference to the 700 MHz band and to the so-called “sub 700 MHz” band, and it will develop potential business models from two different coverage strategies:
- coverage with High Power High Tower (HPHT) type architectures, with topologies similar to traditional broadcasting networks;
- coverage with Low Power Low Tower (LPLT) type architectures, typical of cellular coverage, but in unidirectional traffic situations.
The project also provides support to the Mise (Dgscerp) in the activation of calls for the selection of projects within the programme for trial technological innovation in the audio-visual sector and in the cultural and creative industry. In particular, support will be offered for the preparation of technical specifications taking into account the state of the art of technology, the maturity of technological solutions and the possibility of developing challenging use cases, in line with what has been produced in similar initiatives in other countries.