FCC grants temporary licence to test 5G broadcasting
18 July 2023
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a special temporary authority (STA) to a broadcast station in New Hampshire’s Westmoreland, to test 5G broadcasting, FierceWireless reported. The authority granted to Milachi Media, the licensee of low power television translator station WWOO-LD, will run through 16 January 2024.
The test involves broadcasting signals to any device that has a 5G chip, including smartphones, tablets and television sets. The station will broadcast in 5G and ATSC 1.0 for people who do not have devices with a 5G chip.
The FCC’s letter granting the STA said, “Milachi and its partners (XGEN Networks, Qualcomm, and others) envision 5G broadcast not only as a means for transmitting traditional television service, but also a way to potentially reduce congestion on existing 5G networks.” The 5,000 LPTV broadcast stations that collectively cover the whole country with existing towers and transmitters, will be able to provide that content to wireless customers through supplemental downloads,” the FCC continued.
5G broadcast could be used for other purposes as well, such as public safety broadcasts, distance learning and software updates to connected devices. The FCC wrote, “The experiment is likely to provide valuable information to allow broadcasters to better understand how 5G broadcast can be used not only for traditional television services, but also new and innovative video and data services.”
Meanwhile, Frank Copsidas, president of the LPTV Broadcasters Association, and veteran broadcaster Bill Christian, are advocating for 5G broadcasting. Christian has filed an FCC application for an experimental license for his LPTV station in Boston to demonstrate 5G broadcasting capability. Copsidas and Christian have created a new company, XGN, to act as a central point of communication for wireless carriers and LPTV 5G datacasting stations.
Original Article: https://www.telecompaper.com/news/fcc-grants-temporary-licence-to-test-5g-broadcasting--1470140
