Efficient and cost-effective broadcasting of TV programmes to smartphones and tablets may be a step closer to reality with the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP) announcing new specifications under Release 14. . 3GPP is an international standardisation body that supports critical prerequisites for broadcast content delivery in large-cell 4G and 5G networks.

The first version of the new 5G standard is expected to be available by 2018, after which it will be continually enhanced to become a universal system for high-bandwidth data applications. Starting in 2020, additional enhancements for broadcast applications are expected as part of 5G; these could be available by 2025 as popular broadcast services for the mass market.

At a recent conference in Munich, the 5G Media Initiative, a special-interest group made up of leading corporations and organisations, announced that with these enhancements, Release 14 offers characteristics that approximate those enjoyed with classical terrestrial broadcast methods.

With Release 14 finalised, implementation in devices, services and networks can be started. The extensions to the 3GPP standard include numerous improvements to the existing evolved (eMBMS). These improvements provide the technical framework for economical programme delivery and unrestricted access to TV programmes. The new specification includes features such as reception without a SIM card and without authentication, as well as the option of using up to 100 % of the available transmission capacity for broadcast applications. Significantly enlarged transmitter spacings permit the use of broadcast transmitter stations for economical area coverage. A receive-only mode without requiring a return channel was also established in the 3GPP standard.

Network operators will be able to combine various TV content delivery methods along with interactivity. Mobile network operators do not need to transmit TV programs in all of their networks simultaneously, which yields a high degree of efficiency. Transmission via a separate broadcast transmitter network would also be possible, allowing all wireless devices to receive TV programs, whether or not a contract is in place. The standard also specifies that transport and coding formats currently employed in broadcasting shall also be available for use in 4G and 5G networks.

The requirements for improvements to the LTE/eMBMS standard had previously been defined by EBU, Southwest German Broadcasting Corporation (SWR), IRT, BBC and RAI along with industry partners, including Qualcomm, Nokia and Ericsson, and submitted to 3GPP. At the same time, the foundations for a seamless transition to 5G standardisation currently underway were laid; the standardisation is planned to be implemented in an initial phase in conjunction with LTE.

The 5G Media Initiative was launched by leading companies and organisations to foster the potential of the future 5G standard for the media industry through research and development. Partners include Kathrein-Werke KG, Nokia, Rohde & Schwarz, Telefónica, MUGLER, the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, the Southwest German Broadcasting Corporation, the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg FAU, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, the Institute for Communications Technology (IfN) of the Technical University of Braunschweig, the Institute for Broadcast Technology (IRT), and the Munich-based startup Cadami. The 5G Media Initiative networks media, research and industry to exchange knowledge and expertise, to find common ground and initiate research projects.