2026 Accelerator Project

Project Objectives

Champions: BBC, RAI, Vodafone, EBU, GSMA, France Television, RTL Germany, DAZN, TV2, Telefónica 

Academic Partner: University of Strathclyde 

Participants: Neutral Wireless, SliceFinity, LiveU, Vonage, Haivision  

5G is ready for production, but not yet for scale. Broadcasters have proven that Quality of Service (QoS) using network slicing and private 5G can deliver broadcast-grade workflows in real environments, but that is far from the experience on congested public networks. Network APIs provide a mechanism for applications to request guaranteed resources from a network to deliver reliable connectivity in any situation. The next step is control. 

For broadcasters, 5G QoS and network APIs are not about networks, they are about editorial speed, flexibility and, above all, reliability. Connectivity must move from best effort to production control. 

This project demonstrated how standardised network APIs (such as CAMARA) turn connectivity into a programmable, predictable and prioritised production resource, integrated directly into broadcast workflows.  

Innovation and Collaboration 

Current solutions to provide QoS often rely on static priority-based resources or pre-provisioned network slices. Where there are opportunities for more dynamic control, they are typically based on fragmented or proprietary APIs with little cross-network consistency and complex workflows, resulting in no incentive to integrate with production systems. 

Standardised APIs such as CAMARA present an opportunity to reconcile broadcast needs with network capability. This project explores how the ‘Quality on Demand’ (QoD) API enables dynamic, event-driven changes to device/traffic priority to protect key feeds or workflows on congested networks. 

With broadcasters, production technology vendors, and public and private network operators working together, the project evaluated requirements, realised live demonstrations, and identified routes to industry adoption through integrated production-ready solutions and transferable workflows.  

Proof of Concept Demonstrated at IBC: 

The aim of this project was to explore how programmable network resources can support live production workflows. Ultimately, the project team wanted to showcase reliable 5G for broadcast production by demonstrating QoD workflows on live public networks in a real world environment. 

While a Proof of Concept to test live video contributions at Stage 1 of the Tour de France in Barcelona could not be finalised in time, the learnings from the preparation directly fed into the Proof of Concept at a DFB-Pokal football match in Hamburg, with RTL as the host broadcaster.  

Multiple workflows were explored during this PoC, using different QoD profiles and slices across all three major German mobile operators: 

• Intercom / 500 kbps GBR 

• Commentary / 512 kbps GBR 

• Return video / 2 Mbps GBR 

• Mobile journalist / 2 Mbps GBR 

• Live contribution / 2 Mbps GBR 

• Live video / 8 Mbps LVP slice 

With 45,000 people inside the stadium contending the public mobile networks, it was the perfect environment to test parallel workflows comparing a QoD service against a regular best effort service.  

Project PoCs:

View the 2027 Proof of Concept assets the team of Network Control: Your Connection, Your Choice presented at IBC2026.

View the Project's PoC Short Summary Deck

View the Project's PoC Final Deck

Key Learnings: 

The hugely successful project facilitated key discussions directly between network operator product teams and broadcast operations to truly understand what broadcasters need to do in congested environments.  

How could QoD transform best effort 5G to support essential workflows beyond video contribution?  

Wireless intercom emerged as a critical workflow and the lower bitrate made it an attractive candidate for public operators to support as a first step. A 500 kbps guaranteed bitrate (GBR) profile was released and used across all three public operators at the football match in Germany with RTL and used to support intercom and commentary audio transport. An early preview of a 2 Mbps profile was also tested for return video and remote video contribution. 

There is huge appetite to reduce deployment cost and operational complexity, and moving intercom to IP-based systems using public network infrastructure is attractive provided connectivity can be assured, and this project demonstrated how QoD can deliver. 

The role of QoD and the importance of interoperable workflows on private networks was also explored, and the live demonstration of QoD to protect a video feed at the IBC Show was performed using the same API and applications. 

Industry Impact: 

When something just works, it is easy to overlook the achievement.  

In the short time of this project, as well as the technical and integration groundwork, the project team was given the keys to take control of resource scheduling on all three operators’ live public networks at an event. Intercom just worked, while control devices on the best effort services completely failed. This is a huge milestone for QoD and programmable network resources for reliable connectivity when it matters.  

Moreover, the 500 kbps profile is being released as a commercial product in Germany, with other markets in preparation and a clear dialogue to share profiles internationally to deliver predictable services across operators and borders.  

The team will continue to work together to specify and test QoS profiles relevant for the broadcast industry, develop solutions and integrations with production systems to leverage these new services, and finally realise the promises 5G offered all those years ago.