Ericsson and TIM, in collaboration with Samsung and Qualcomm Technologies, presented a live concert of singer-songwriter Max Gazzè, broadcast for the first time in Italy in LTE Broadcast technology, at Expo 2015, Milan’s World’s Fair. The show was an opportunity to test the potential of new generation mobile TV that allows users to access content live and on-demand in high definition. The initiative was part of TIM’s testing project to move the country towards full digitalisation.
LTE technology allows users to access video and multimedia content in high definition, with an image quality of up to 4K, and allows a potentially unlimited number of mobile users to view, simultaneously, TV and audiovisual broadcasts with a single data transmission. In addition, The technology also enables users to follow several events from a single ‘programming’ at the same time on their own tablet or smartphone.
The LTE Broadcast event extended coverage to the entire Expo area, covering 272 acres, where a group of trial users were able to watch the live event, and to choose on phablets between several channels of content: the Max Gazzè live concert, TIM’s music streaming platform, and TIM’s on-demand TV service from TIMvision.
“With video traffic on mobile networks growing by 55 per cent every year from now to 2020, operators will find themselves facing a great challenge to guarantee a high-quality audio and video experience to their subscribers, at any time in any place,” said Alessandro Francolini, vice president and sales director, Mediterranean region at Ericsson. “LTE Broadcast is the ideal solution to optimise network resources and enable new business models for the distribution of multimedia content. For the first time in Italy, we have trialled this innovative service on a very big area, the Expo site, with very high quality levels.”
Mario Di Mauro, head of strategy and innovation at Telecom Italia, added: “This live trial of LTE Broadcast with an ecosystem of excellent partners shows how TIM is continuing to pursue the route of innovation to support the growth of new markets that are fundamental for telcos, such as high-definition video on the move. Active involvement in the evolution of digital services is essential for a company that wants to be a technology enabler and service provider in the distribution of multimedia content and services. LTE Broadcast technology on latest generation mobile networks represents an opportunity to offer end users a very high quality of service and a simple and exciting user experience.”
