Using a Private 5G Network to Support the International Broadcast of the Coronation of HM King Charles III

Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference , Core Education Collection , Core Education Collection: Connect Series

Originally Aired - Monday, April 15 | 3:40 PM - 4:00 PM PT

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Electronic newsgathering (ENG) increasingly relies on bonded-cellular contributions, but in crowded high demand density (HDD) environments the public networks can become saturated, and unable to support the required uplink bitrate to transmit high-definition video for remote contribution feeds. Such occasions are often newsworthy, and broadcasters do not only have to compete with attendees for network resources, but also each other.

This situation was encountered by the BBC during the broadcast production for the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. When planning for the broadcast of the coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla, it was clear that the standard bonded-cellular ENG workflow was at risk, not just for themselves but all broadcasters.

This paper discusses in detail the development, testing, and deployment of the multi-cell private 5G network that provided uncontested coverage outside Buckingham Palace and along The Mall to Admiralty Arch. This was the largest pop-up private 5G network ever deployed for media contributions, and supported over 20 international media outlets to go live from amongst the crowds lining the procession route. We identify key learnings, but also address the key challenges encountered and highlight routes to improve network performance and flexibility.