IBC: GatesAir To Demo 5G Passthrough

GatesAir will bring its 5G passthrough demo to IBC audiences this year. The technology employs 5G modulation within its Maxiva XTE exciter to send live TV content to a smartphone across the 5G waveform. Representatives will be available to discuss 5G as well as traditional terrestrial waveforms at stand 8.B75 at IBC2025, which takes place on September 12-15 at Amsterdam RAI.

That “5G passthrough” to mobile devices is achieved over UHF channels, “effectively opening the door for broadcast’s highly efficient one-to-many model to make a difference with mobile TV delivery,” said a GatesAir release. “Adopting the UHF frequency allows broadcasters to avoid using valuable mobile spectrum, while consumers can receive, decode and view content on the same mobile devices that they already use.”

GatesAir’s provision of 5G delivery across the UHF channels guarantees 5G exclusivity for voice and mobile cellular use, the company said. It also gives broadcasters the ability to adopt 5G delivery without needing to replace their existing transmitters. The new modulation technique can be applied to GatesAir’s Maxiva ULXTE, UAXTE and OP Series of liquid-cooled and air-cooled UHF transmitters. Maxiva transmission products are built for standards-agnostic transmission, with the software-defined XTE exciter able to support all current digital and analog TV standards.

“Visitors to our booth last year were actively assessing the possibility that offloading broadcast content to UHF frequencies may become a reality within the next 5-10 years,” said Raymond Miklius, VP of technology, GatesAir. “With more trials on the horizon, our purpose this year is to show broadcasters that we are actively prepared to assist when that time arrives, especially in Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific region that are pursuing trials.”