As with any major event, telecommunications plays a key role in broadcasting the event around the world. Telecommunications is also important in organizing the athletes and staff managing the event. This year’s Paris Olympic games in depth coverage are being made possible by private 5G networks. These wireless networks operate largely unnoticed but are key for the success of the event.
Orange Private 5G Network in Paris
At the start of the games, a dedicated private 5G network spanning the Stade de France, Arena Bercy, and a 6km Seine River section offered broadcasters exceptional upload speeds, minimal latency, and robust security during the opening ceremony. Orange, the French operator, is the company charged with providing the telecom infrastructure and services for the entire period of the summer games.
Orange’s contractual obligation requires it to serve 120 venues in total. This includes parts of the city of Paris, transport centres and athlete training grounds. For the Paris games, Orange has significant pressure as the sole mobile network operator. For comparison, at the Tokyo games, there were 5 different operators.
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Orange’s network at the Olympics utilizes a standalone 5G architecture, which involves a complete overhaul of both the radio access and core network components compared to traditional 4G systems.
The private network deployed is split. With network slicing, a feature of 5G SA, operators can reserve part of a public network for private use, attaching performance guarantees to this virtual slice. There is good reason why the French company preferred this to network slicing on public 5G.
“We are using different frequencies, we are using different infrastructure, just to make sure we can on one side provide the quality of service required for the public and on the other side we can meet what is required for TV broadcast,.” said Bertrand Rojat, the chief marketing and innovation officer for Orange Events.
The networks are optimized for higher uplink throughput to support broadcasting applications. On the other hand, the company has deployed a hybrid public-private network setup for the French national police force and gendarmerie.
Livestreaming Via Samsung Galaxy S24
As part of its contract, the French telco operator is installing cell antennas on sailing vessels off the south coast. This will help to cover competitors during various races. The cell antennas are very important due to the use of phones. At the opening ceremony for example, 200 smartphone cameras on boats were linked to Orange’s private 5G network for livestreaming.
The S24 Ultra smartphones on 85 vessels were used to convey around 10,500 athletes during the ceremony. Orange is relying exclusively on the Samsung S24 for smartphone footage. The Korean phone maker confirmed that Olympic Broadcasting Services used the smartphones to capture HDR footage of the ceremony which was then streamed over Orange’s private 5G network.
Read: Samsung Galaxy S24 Review: Compact Powerhouse
Commenting on the use of smartphones, Rojat said, “If you want to have live images from the athletes, you need to have cameras on the boats. It’s just not possible with regular cameras. It’s too heavy, too expensive, too difficult to deploy.”
Orange went on to add that the choice of the Samsung flagship goes beyond its 5G capabilities. The Galaxy S24 was also picked due to its advanced software configuration enabling it to handle the video streaming with high quality, including HDR.
Cisco the Network Olympian
Cisco, the networking giant headquartered in the USA, has come in as Orange’s official private 5G partner for the Paris Olympics Games. The company is providing all network equipment, covering both the core and the radio access network.
Cisco as a company should be considered an Olympian. The company has been an official partner for the Olympics in London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Tokyo (2020). 4 years before the Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics games, the American network giant is already confirmed as the official network equipment partner.
“Cisco’s leadership in the industry and experience will enable us to provide the best and most seamless experience for our athletes, fans, partners and community at large.” said LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman.
Cisco and NBC Sports Partnership
At the Paris games, Cisco is also working with NBC Sports. The company is providing networking technology for all-IP production of the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, July 24-August 11, and, August 28-September 8, respectively.
The broadcaster using Cisco for its all-IP production including the deployment of Cisco’s IP Fabric for Media at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Paris, will enable the secure and efficient delivery of 4K and 8K content to viewers back in the United States. In addition, Cisco’s new mobility and wireless technologies will bring viewers far away in the USA closer to the action in Paris.
Still during the games, NBC Sports will employ Cisco’s security and network monitoring tools to gain a real-time overview of their entire network. This enables them to proactively safeguard critical systems, prevent service disruptions, and enhance the overall viewer experience.
Public 5G Network
The Olympics is a major event. 15,000 athletes are expected to compete with over 15 million people expected to be in Paris. Thus, public network has to be strengthened. Paris was lucky that it hosted the Rugby world cup just last year. This smaller event in terms of numbers, served as a dress rehearsal for the network operator.
At the Rugby world cup, Orange trialled what it calls “mobile connectivity units”. This units are meant for the public and are deployed to improve Orange’s mobile coverage in the city. Essentially, the mobile connectivity units are removable telecommunication equipment that can easily be deployed at temporary venues. For the Paris Olympics games, about 50 mobile connectivity units are deployed at major sports venues.
According to Rojat,this dynamic mechanism “allows Orange to optimize spectrum use and boost capacity”. They are there to boost the existing permanent mobile network towers. However, for the Stade de France and some venues, this equipment will be a permanent fixture.
Public Wi-Fi
The French company would like the public to stick to the mobile network as the main option for connectivity. Nevertheless, Orange has still set up a Wi-Fi network. This public network is intended for a select group of people.
“In France, we don’t use Wi-Fi. We use mobile networks. We are deploying Wi-Fi, but it is for media, for the organizing committee, for all the technical staff. It is a B2B Wi-Fi network. For the public, this is why we have enhanced all our mobile coverage,” said Rojat.
The backbone of the system is a high-speed Internet Protocol network spanning 60 locations and capable of transferring data at a rate of 100 gigabits per second. Approximately 100,000 connection points are available for devices such as computers, ATMs, and ticketing systems. This network is overlaid with a Wi-Fi system using about 10,000 access points. Notably, Orange retains remote control and management capabilities over the entire IP network.
Obvios Private 5G for Olympics Torch Relay
Before the Olympics starts officially, there is usually the Torch relay. For this event across many locations, France Télévisions used a system from Obvios (their private 5G Dome). The startup offers an easy-to-use compact mobile private 5G streaming platform, which utilizes Haivision’s private 5G video transmission system.
For the process that customarily begins in Athens, France Television had a dedicated internet channel. The torch relay channel was live from May till July 24. During this period, the internet TV covered the torch relay for 10 hours a day.
To follow the torch, a 5G radio was placed on top of a vehicle that is offering coverage. As for the rest of the needed system, “Everything is in the boot of the car, the core network” – meaning the brain of the private network – and the power supply,” Valérie Le Ny, marketing and sales manager at Obvios, said.
At the top of the car, there was also a satellite antenna, which was used to send data to the production platform. Again, this was another instance where smartphone cameras were essential in broadcasting.
“When you are under the 5G bubble you can collect the live streaming from the cameras and smartphones,” Le Ny said. The marketing manager added that, “The video flows are collected by the 5G network then backhauled by the satellite” – to France Television’s partner in this venture TU Networks – “production media hub.”
Obvios deployed a private 5G network mid band system utilizing a 100 MHz spectrum within the 3300-4200 MHz band. This infrastructure enables the creation of a high-bandwidth, mobile 5G coverage zone surrounding broadcast vehicles. This was essential as the car travelled in rural and forested areas where good public 4G connection is not a guarantee.
Further, even in urban areas, the gathering of people to watch the torch relay may make the network patchy. Hence, the use of a private network ensured robust and uninterrupted connectivity for live broadcasts.
The French TV picked the startup ahead of other key players such as Nokia and Siemens. They did this as the startup offering of a compact highly mobile private 5G network, was cost-effective. In future, Obvios intends to deploy its technology during festivals.
4G bonded video
At the games, a number of media outlets are exploring alternative video transmission methods. Some broadcasters are using bonded 4G to stream video.
These broadcasters are relying on multi-SIM devices that combine multiple 4G LTE networks for improved upload speeds and reliability. This industry standard approach, often employing solutions from companies like LiveU, transmits video via IP over bonded cellular connections, linking remote cameras directly to broadcasting studios.
