A coalition of broadcasters and technology vendors has called on mobile network operators (MNOs) to open up their networks, warning that the lack of standardized control is currently “inhibiting” the full adoption of 5G in live production.

In a statement led by Neutral Wireless and supported by the BBC, Sony, France Télévisions, and RAI, the group is urging for the immediate exposure of standardized quality-on demand (QoD) network APIs.

The move, also backed by GSMA Fusion and the IBC, aims to solve a persistent industry issue: the inability of broadcasters to prioritize critical video and audio data flows when public mobile networks become congested.

While 5G is already used for basic remote reporting, it often fails the “resilience test” in high-demand environments like stadiums or city centers. Without direct control over network performance, the broadcasters argue they face high latency and “unusable” feeds when shared cell towers become overcrowded.

“Reliability of wireless connectivity is a key concern inhibiting the adoption of 5G technologies for live production, and the addition of QoD to dynamically control resource priority would represent a significant step towards protecting critical feeds and ensuring resilience,”  Sam Yoffe, senior systems engineer at Neutral Wireless, explained.

‘Build once, deploy everywhere’ strategy

The industry is advocating for the implementation of Camara QoD APIs via the GSMA Open Gateway initiative to tackle the current problem of broadcasters being trapped by proprietary solutions that are difficult to scale across different countries or carriers.

By standardizing these APIs, technology vendors say they can build hardware and software that works across any network globally. These tools are promised to allow dynamic performance by giving crews the ability to protect a high-bitrate camera feed in real-time.

This allows them to establish predictable latency through predefined profiles to ensure audio and video stay synced, creating true interoperability. It would also eliminate the need for broadcasters to develop bespoke, expensive integrations for every different mobile operator.

To address these issues, the group has outlined a clear timeline for mobile operators to prioritize these services, starting with the U.K. by the end of this year, followed by Italy in early 2027, France by the middle of next year, and the U.S. by later in 2028.

“By making network performance predictable and controllable on demand, broadcasters can design innovative live production solutions that respond in real-time to users, whether that’s multicamera workflows, interactive content, or low-latency feeds,” Jamie Trinh, media and entertainment development lead at GSMA Fusion, said: “At the same time, this represents a significant opportunity for mobile operators to realize the value of their 5G infrastructure across markets.”  

The collaboration plans to demonstrate the power of these open APIs at the upcoming IBC Show in September 2026, building on the success of 5G trials during the Coronation of King Charles III and the Paris 2024 Games.

European broadcasters have been united on 5G broadcast needs from as early as July 2023, when several broadcasters signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on joint activities concerning 5G broadcast in Europe.

This is when broadcasters from France (France Télévisions), Italy (RAI), Germany (SWR, BR), the Netherlands (NPO), Ireland (RTÉ), and Austria (ORF/ORS) started assessing the feasibility of adoption and rolling out of the new industry standards.