IBC2022 have announced two breakthrough projects exploring the future of 5G in XR and remote production.

The projects, along with Final Proof of Concept (POC) results and demonstrations, will be showcased live at IBC2022 as part of the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme, at the IBC Accelerator Zone and on the IBC Innovation Stage.

IBC Accelerators - 5G Remote Production - Summary

IBC Accelerators: 5G remote production

Both collaborative 5G projects feature Champions and Participants that span the whole industry, from huge household names such as BBC, BT Sport, Warner Bros. Discovery and Microsoft, to new industry players and academic partners that are catalysing new technology thinking.

The two projects will reveal world-first 5G & LEO combined broadcast production workflows and ground-breaking 5G enabled productions in remote regions of Kenya and New Zealand.

“The two 5G projects exemplify the pioneering and collaborative spirit of the IBC Accelerator Programme, which brings together innovative media companies and leading-edge technology partners to drive advances that address real-world challenges and opportunities that the industry faces,” said IBC Innovation Lead Mark Smith.

Read more: IBC2022 Accelerators: Previous success stories

5G Remote Production… in the middle of nowhere will demonstrate the vast potential of private 5G networks for live production, with innovative world-first configurations in workflows to enable live broadcasts from some of the most remote regions of the world.

The project will demonstrate just how portable and flexible a private 5G ‘Network in a Box’ can be for live broadcast production use cases, taking the project team to some truly remote global locations – including Ireland, Kenya and New Zealand – to develop POCs in August 2022.

The second project, ‘5G and the Arena of the Future for XR Events’, looks to push 5G’s low latency and connectivity for Extended Reality (XR) use cases to power immersive, real-time hyper-personalisation of fan experiences, and virtual commercialisation in a 3D world. The project looks at live augmented reality techno-sport events involving multiple locations, platforms, and players – synchronising social interaction in a single virtual, 3D environment.

For the POC, the project featured a HADO tournament with teams in London and Miami playing live, while Vodafone provided the low latency 5G network that enabled fans to interact seamlessly via Augmented Reality (AR) and motion capture. It demonstrated that esports-style XR and other events that use AR could be held with players and fans located anywhere – at any time – enabling, in effect, the creation of a metaverse-type ‘arenaverse’ for these types of events.

Mark Smith added: “The 5G POCs are two of eight exciting projects we’re looking forward to bringing to the show, which all underline IBC’s ongoing commitment to fuelling innovation.”

Learnings will be revealed at the show, along with live links throughout the day to the IBC Accelerator Zone and Innovation Stage from the middle of rural Scotland and the prestigious Pitlochry Highland Games on Saturday 10th September 2022 – demonstrating the power, flexibility and cost-effective potential of private 5G for niche live sports coverage.

The two Accelerator 5G innovation sessions will take place on the Innovation Stage in Hall 2 on:

  • Saturday 10th September at 11.15am-12.00pm CET – ‘5G and The Arena of The Future for XR Events’
  • Saturday 10th September at 13.30pm-14.55pm CET – ‘5G Remote Production… in the Middle of Nowhere’

The IBC Accelerator Programme 2022 is sponsored by AMD, as Premium Sponsor and Microsoft, as the Programme Sponsor.

Read more: IBC 2022 Accelerators (Part 3): Innovation everywhere