Stockholm Marathon | Three Sweden Taps Ericsson to Enable Live 5G SA Broadcast

Stockholm Marathon | Three Sweden Taps Ericsson to Enable Live 5G SA Broadcast
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This year marked the 45th edition of the Stockholm Marathon, a 42-kilometer (26 miles) course that takes runners across the Swedish capital’s scenic landmarks and districts. The event closes at the historic 1912 Olympic Stadium, the home to 83 officially recognized world records in athletics – more than any other arena in the world.

Setting a new benchmark in Sweden, the event featured a market-first, 5G-enabled live broadcast, streamed from a 5G broadcasting camera in the lead car throughout the race. The broadcast utilized a dedicated network slice on Three’s 5G standalone (SA) network, ensuring a reliable, high-quality video uplink stream.

Stockholm Marathon | Three Sweden Taps Ericsson to Enable Live 5G SA Broadcast

Haval van Drumpt, CEO of Three Sweden, says: “Using slicing in our public network at an event as significant as the Stockholm Marathon demonstrates our commitment to pioneering 5G technology and exploring its diverse applications.”

5G broadcasting is more efficient and cost effective compared to traditional satellite broadcasting by eliminating the need for costly large on-site crews, gear and hiring satellite links. Using the 5G SA network and network slicing for broadcasting means media companies and the supporting mobile operators like Three can deliver high-quality and lag-free video to the audience even from locations with intense flow of people and high mobile network traffic. In addition to being suitable for large-scale and high-profile events, this means 5G broadcasting provides new opportunities not only for major broadcasters, but also for local broadcasting companies and TV networks covering smaller events with limited budget and resources.

Mobilelinks delivered the stream over a single 5G SA network from Three. Ericsson provided the network infrastructure that enabled the broadcast to take place with a dedicated network slice deployed and managed through an end-to-end Ericsson 5G SA connection powered by its core network, transport layer, and radio connectivity. This technology support from Ericsson also included Massive MIMO and RAN Compute products, allowing Three and MobileLinks to deliver a reliable, high-quality live video stream to those watching the broadcast.

Nora Wahby, Head of Customer Unit Northern & Central Europe, Ericsson, says: “The technology creates new business models for service providers and is transformative for the broadcasting industry, enabling immersive experiences across traditional broadcasting such as second scene virtual reality, ultra-high-definition services, and on-site live event experiences. 5G standalone with network slicing will significantly reshape media production and enrich sports entertainment in the future”.

5G broadcasting offers new business opportunities for communication service providers, with services such as slice-on-a-SIM solutions or resource reservation services, and potential for partnerships with content capture players, camera providers, and event space owners. Broadcasters prioritizing reliability and efficiency for their services are willing to pay a premium for the consistent service, demonstrating the true value of 5G standalone setwork monetization.

According to Ericsson research, the implementation of network slicing to facilitate broadcasting and streaming is projected to yield revenues of up to USD 33 billion by 2030. The broader application of network slicing is anticipated to address a revenue potential of USD 200 billion.


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