WWOO-LD Boston will become the first U.S. 5G broadcaster OTA TV broadcaster this week. The company recently filed for an experimental license with the Federal Communications Commission. Now WWOO-LD says on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, it will start broadcasting in 5G over the air TV or OTA according to a statement sent to Cord Cutters News.
“Recent developments in technology on both the transmit and receive sides, combined with an ever-increasing appetite for video and data on mobile devices make this the perfect time to build and test 5G broadcasting,” said Bill Christian. “None of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of ‘SuperFrank’ Copsidas, founder of Low Power TV Broadcasters Association and XGen Network.”
Currently still being tested but this 24/7 feed will help make this service a reality soon for cord cutters.
Bringing broadcast to 5G can help reduce “congestion” from sending data and video millions of times to connected devices using a one-to-one model. WWOO’s proposed 5G broadcasting will use a “one-to-many model” to eliminate the traffic jams.
5G broadcasting will use “lower towers and lower power than their full-power brethren” and so far is experiencing no interference during testing. Around 75 percent of all broadcasters in the U.S. use low-power stations.
As described by LPTVBA’s Chief Strategic Officer Preston Padden, “Anybody who has been frustrated in a crowded football stadium trying to watch the game on a phone can understand the value of sending out in-demand streams and data via broadcast. But the possibilities are so much more, from long-distance learning to high-definition encrypted video to first responders, to filling holes in areas unserved by the internet.”