Its capacity is equivalent to the bandwidth of up to ten 5G operators using the current 3.5 GHz technology, allowing it to offer significantly greater capacity than conventional 5G. This pioneering pilot project in Spain has demonstrated how this technology can simultaneously support the intensive use of thousands of people at an event and professional applications that require sending large amounts of information in real time, such as multiple video signals for the television production of a sporting or musical event.
One of the key milestones of the trial was the use of an innovative configuration called Heavy Uplink, or an uplink-optimized network, designed to deliver exceptionally high upload speeds. At the Movistar Arena, upload speeds exceeding 1.8 Gbps were achieved, the highest speed deployed to date on a commercial 5G network in Spain. This capability is crucial for activities such as live video streaming and remote audiovisual production, even in very high-traffic environments—something only Telefónica can achieve thanks to its extensive spectrum holdings in the 26 GHz band.
The pilot project was conducted in collaboration with Sony, which was able to test the operation of a 5G audiovisual transmission system based on elements such as the CBK-RPU7 remote production unit for ultra-low latency HEVC video encoding. The 4K (ultra-high-definition) images, captured by the HXC-FZ90 camera, were transmitted after being encoded at up to 100 Mbps to the 5G network via Sony's PDT-FP1 portable data transmitter, and then decoded by the NXL-ME80 multimedia processor.
Leonor Ostos, Director of Product and Service Development at Telefónica Spain, highlights: “This 5G installation on the 26 GHz band at the Movistar Arena demonstrates our commitment to next-generation networks. This technology enables use cases that involve managing large volumes of data in real time, boosting both professional use in industry and providing a superior connected experience for the public at mass events such as concerts and major sporting events. This advancement also reflects our determination to be the best gateway to digital technologies, consolidating our position as an innovative and competitive company, focused on offering more and better services to our customers.
Rob Thorne, Head of Networked Live at Sony Professional Europe, explains: “5G promises greater flexibility for event production; however, bandwidth and architectural limitations have slowed its progress until now. By combining the 5G mmWave technology deployed at the Movistar Arena with Sony’s unique HEVC solution, we are demonstrating that 5G is already capable of meeting the high-quality, low-latency demands of today’s live production.” This pilot project in the millimeter wave band represents another step by Telefónica in its leadership in transforming sports entertainment through the deployment of 5G television production solutions, achieving milestones such as automated, ultra-low-latency broadcasting in stadiums like the Abanca-Riazor in A Coruña and the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Another outstanding example of this capability was the production of the Acciona Open de España Golf tournament, in which a 5G network was used for the first time in a European professional tournament in 2021 to connect drones and wireless cameras.
