A private pop-up 5G network designed by Scottish engineers to beam live footage of the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen across the globe, has been nominated for a prestigious 鈥楾ech Emmy鈥� in the US.
The private network, which was deployed along The Mall in a project that drew on years of collaborative work and demonstrated the viability of 5G technology for media production, has been nominated for a (NATAS) award in the new 鈥楨xcellence in Production Technology鈥� Category.
The potentially game-changing technology reduces the reliance on fixed wire connections between camera crews and outside broadcast vehicles, and the team included engineers from the University of 欧美高清鈥檚 Software Defined Radio team (StrathSDR) and spin out company , in collaboration with the BBC and other key partners.
Inaugural category
The two other nominees for this inaugural category include 鈥楥hristmas At Graceland,鈥� and 'The Santa Clauses (Season 2)鈥�, with the ceremony taking place on October 9 at the Prince George Ballroom in New York.
NATAS President and CEO Adam Sharp said:
This new category honours innovations that significantly enhanced the experience of broadcast viewers during the competition year. These nominees revolutionised the way television is produced, delivered, or broadcast.
鈥淭ogether, they help set the standard for this exciting new track of recognition in the Tech Emmys.鈥�
After experiencing significant difficulties during the State funeral for H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, BBC News identified a requirement to provide connectivity for news teams for the Coronation of H.M. King Charles III.
Wireless cameras were essential for their planned coverage, but the expected crowds would present a problem for bonded-cellular contributions鈥攏ot just for themselves, but all broadcasters.
Private network
BBC News and BBC R&D approached University of 欧美高清 spin-out company Neutral Wireless to deploy a large-scale private 5G standalone network to provide seamless coverage along part of the procession route, from outside Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Admiralty Arch, guaranteeing uplink connectivity for existing bonded-cellular devices without changing the day-to-day operations for news teams.
Initial viability testing was conducted at 欧美高清's rural test site on the banks of Loch Lomond before on-site testing in London.
Live news
As the public networks became congested, bonded-cellular devices relied entirely on the private 5G network to go live-to-air. On Coronation Day itself, more than 60 devices from 20 domestic and international media outlets used the private network to deliver live news.
The project also won the Best Paper Award at the 2024 (BEIT) Conference in Las Vegas on April 13.