5G Broadcast, a technology that is starting to be tested by US low-power TV stations, took a big, official step forward. 3GPP on Friday formally published the technical specs for 5G Broadcast in version 18.3.0 of the specs for 36.101 (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, or E-UTRA). The updated specs show approval for “LTE based 5G terrestrial broadcast” to operate in a new 108 band (470MHz – 698MHz). This effectively makes all U.S. low-power UHF stations 3GPP-eligible to broadcast in 5G.
The FCC has granted low-power WWOO-LD Westmoreland, N.H., special temporary authority to test 5G broadcasts. LPTV stations are looking to leapfrog the ATSC 3.0 standard’s data offload potential with what is being billed as “5G broadcasting.” “Anybody who has been frustrated in a crowded football stadium trying to watch the game on a phone can understand the value of sending out on-demand streams and data via broadcast,” Preston Padden, long-time industry executive and chief strategic officer of the LPTV Broadcasters Association, has said of the effort to turn LPTVs into turnkey 5G players.