92% of broadcasters will adopt 5G by 2022

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According to a new poll of global broadcast companies, 5G is set to have a significant impact on every aspect of the broadcasting industry.

(Image credit: Nevion)

Nevion, a specialist in real-time media production, has surveyed 225 broadcasters across Europe, Australia, China and North America, to assess where the industry currently stands on 5G adoption.

Working with market research company OnePoll, Nevion found that over a third (39%) of respondents expect their organization will be ready to adopt 5G within a year, with a further 53% believing they will do so by 2022. However, the survey also found that, despite 94% of broadcasters thinking 5G was broadcast-ready, only 46% had actually tested 5G’s capabilities within their organization.

"Over the next year or so, it will be a case of broadcasters looking in earnest at the potential of 5G in the value chain and testing the technology’s capabilities."

Andy Rayner, Nevion.

“It’s positive that broadcasters are expecting to move forward at pace with 5G,” said Andy Rayner, Chief Technologist, Nevion. “However, there is still a lot of work to be done before it can be implemented into live environments, and given the current climate worldwide, testing and developments may have slowed down. Over the next year or so, it will be a case of broadcasters looking in earnest at the potential of 5G in the value chain and testing the technology’s capabilities within their organizations – something over half of broadcasters are yet to do.”

Broadcasters moving to 5G

These results follow a “ground-breaking” report from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU),  into the feasibility of using 5G technology as a distribution method for public service media (PSM) organizations across Europe. The main conclusions of the report emphasise the fact that, technically, 5G may be able to meet the distribution requirements of both PSM and commercial media providers, if a combination of 5G Mobile Broadband and 5G Broadcast is used.

Nevion’s poll data supports this shift to 5G, revealing that 61% of broadcasters would consider using it for distribution as a potential replacement for DTT (digital terrestrial television), satellite or cable. Broadcasters would also consider using 5G technologies for OTT (over-the-top) services (33%) and contribution (29%). And 65% of respondents said they would consider 5G for remote production.

“Even though the infrastructure isn’t quite there yet, 5G’s use for remote production could be extremely beneficial in the future beyond connecting cameras to the local outside broadcast production facility,” said Rayner. “It can, for example, serve as a flexible way to take signals from the venues or locations back to the central production facility.”


Dan Oliver
Dan Oliver

Dan is a British journalist with 20 years of experience in the design and tech sectors, producing content for the likes of Microsoft, Adobe, Dell and The Sunday Times. In 2012 he helped launch the world's number one design blog, Creative Bloq. Dan is now editor-in-chief at 5Gradar, where he oversees news, insight and reviews, providing an invaluable resource for anyone looking to stay up-to-date with the key issues facing 5G.