Malaysian telcos CelcomDigi and U Mobile said on Tuesday they are collaborating with Chinese vendor ZTE to run a live TV broadcast during the upcoming 2024 Sukma Games using 5G-Advanced technology.
The broadcast of the Sukma Games opening ceremony via Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) on August 17 will use ZTE's Intelligent RAN product that hosts native AI and features a mmWave active antenna unit (AAU) with a 1024-antenna array.
Features include carrier aggregation and cluster dynamic frequency selection functionality, which ZTE says gives one cell over 30 Gbps of capacity, enabling individual user download speeds of up to 8.5 Gbps.
Sarawak Digital Economy Corporate Berhad (SDEC) is providing the fibre backhaul for the 5G-A broadcast.
CelcomDigi said the broadcast is intended to showcase how 5G-A’s ultra-low latency and high throughput “will enable more dynamic and efficient live broadcast at a major scale.”
The broadcast from Stadium Sarawak is the fruit of an MoU signed by CelcomDigi, U Mobile and ZTE at Mobile World Congress 2024 in February to demonstrate the capabilities of 5G-A, AI and digital solutions for real-time live broadcasting.
CelcomDigi and U Mobile also signed a separate deal at MWC24 to collaborate on developing use cases for 5G-A as part of a broader agreement to share 100 multi-operator core network sites across Malaysia.
“We continue to drive deployment, development, and adoption of 5G and 5G-A technology, leveraging our wide network footprint and strong foundation of 5G-ready sites, as we double down on our efforts in enabling the nation’s transformation into a 5G-AI powered digital society,” said CelcomDigi CEO Idham Nawawi in a joint statement.
U Mobile CEO Wong Heang Tuck added that the collaboration will further drive adoption of 5G-A in Malaysia: “This collaboration marks a pivotal step towards enhancing digital connectivity and services across industries in Malaysia and sets a new benchmark for 5G-A technology applications and experience.”
CelcomDigi, U Mobile and ZTE will also showcase the technology behind the 5G-A broadcast to the public at the 5G-A Pavilion at Stadium Sarawak.
