Rohde & Schwarz’s Reitmeier Honored By IABM

At its Gala Dinner Wednesday night — part of the IABM Annual International Business Conference & Awards in London — the IABM announced that Manfred Reitmeier from Rohde & Schwarz is the recipient of its Technology Leader of the Year 2019 Award.

The award recognizes a person who is at the forefront of disruption and innovation within the broadcast and media industry who, through inspired leadership, has helped to deliver ground-breaking technology and business benefits.

Earlier this summer, Reitmeier became vice president transmitter and amplifier systems at Rohde & Schwarz. Spanning 30 years, his career within the company has spanned 30 years, first building a team of what R&S called “gifted and talented technologists and product designers and then creating visionary product roadmaps.”

He joined the company as a development engineer in 1989, moving up to positions including director of R&D software, senior director of R&D transmitter systems and senior director of product management transmitter systems. He has over 20 years of management experience in terrestrial transmitter systems.

Several years ago, Reitmeier and his team set themselves the goal of intelligently linking the strengths of broadcasting with the broad capabilities of mobile networks. “Quality of experience for the user is a major consideration in the evolution of 5G Broadcast for mobile TV,” Reitmeier said. “As a sports loving commuter, it nearly drives me crazy when I can’t watch a Champion’s League match live on the train.”

Reitmeier recognized that if their vision was to become reality, his team would need to collaborate, both internally within Rohde & Schwarz and also externally with other like-minded organizations. In June 2017, Rohde & Schwarz joined the pioneering research project — 5G Today — as a partner.

Under the leadership of Germany’s Institute for Broadcast Technology and in co-operation with antenna manufacturer, Kathrein, Rohde & Schwarz is evaluating broad-area TV transmission using the latest technologies. Also, 5G Today is supported by mobile network operator, Telefonica O2, and the Bavarian Broadcasting Corp.

A milestone for 5G Today was reached in December 2018 when Rohde & Schwarz put the world’s first high-power, high-tower transmitter for 5G Broadcast into operation at the BR Wendelstein transmitter station in the Bavarian Alps. The R&S THU9evo high-power transmitter has a transmit power of 100 kilowatts effective radiated power in FeMBMS broadcast mode and covers an area in excess of 60 km.

“Successfully putting the transmitter into operation was a real breakthrough for our Rohde & Schwarz team,” Reitmeier said. The team showcased its 5G Broadcast solution at the Mobile World Congress this February. Then, in April, Rohde & Schwarz gave a debut to the world’s first end-to-end solution for LTE/5G Broadcast at the NAB Show.

“Rohde & Schwarz has provided me with a platform to achieve all my goals and dreams as a broadcast technologist,” Reitmeier said. Together with some truly inspirational colleagues, we have made, and continue to make a real difference to broadcasters and consumers worldwide. And with 5G Broadcast, the best is still to come.”