A distribution revolution

Sponsored by ESA, European Space Agency, the 5G Emerge project was launched in June 2022 when ESA signed an agreement with an industry consortium led by European Broadcast Union (EBU).

Telenor Satellite is a member of the 5G Emerge project at the helm of EBU along with two other Telenor companies, Telenor Research and Telenor Maritime, and a vast range of other key players from the broadcast and satellite sectors in Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, together currently totalling 21 enterprises and associations.

Next-generation 5G will delight any audience

5G technology is a game changer not just for MNOs (Mobile Network Operators), but also for the media industry – it offers super speed, lower latency and high availability giving users a much-improved experience when gaming or watching videos, whether at home or on-the-move. Immense quantities of media content need to move across the core network to reach end users wherever they are and satellite communications companies like Telenor Satellite want to develop efficient means to make this happen by using broadcasting technology.

The aim of the project is to provide end users with the content they want, wherever they want it and at the time of their choosing, and this will be achieved via a combination of satellite and terrestrial IP-based network infrastructures working in collaboration to produce the best viewing results. Satellites will form a key component of the content distribution, delivering high quality, in-demand content to sites as close as possible to the end user. Here, content will be cached in smart gateways, ready for speedy access by the end user via a smartphone, tablet or TV.

Caption: Telenor Satellite owns and operates its THOR satellite fleet at 1°West, delivering premium connectivity across EMEA.

Reaching for the sky

Tone Liljeberg, Telenor Satellite’s Director of Projects, heads up the Telenor Satellite team at the 5G Emerge project, “Having media content stored and ready for consumption at the viewing device of the users has always been somewhat of a holy grail in the broadcasting and media industry. In this project we will work with satellite enabled solutions to inch closer to this long-standing vision.”

The 5G Emerge project, which is still in its early stages, offers exciting opportunities for the future as the technology could be used by the maritime, aviation, transport and land-based sectors. Keep a watchful eye on our website as we will be keeping you up to date with progress as the programme evolves.