With the public demanding immediate 24/7 news, broadcasters need nimble mobile solutions. Until recently they have had to rely upon inflexible, expensive satellites or low-bandwidth, low quality mobile data networks. However, with new multi-SIM cameras and managed 4G networks they can now deploy lightly-equipped news teams immediately, anywhere in the world. This lower cost of transmission and transmitting equipment is lowering the barriers to entry into this market allowing smaller news agencies to challenge the dominance of traditional broadcasters.
The challenges
Broadcasters are looking for cost-effective mobile data packages, easily managed within a portal, to avoid the hassle of contracting with multiple, global operators and the high cost of unexpected overages.
Jola’s solution
Jola provides a wide range of 4G data packages including cost-effective multi-network roaming packages, controlled within Mobile Manager. Our multi-network SIMs roam to the strongest signal in each area and usage is monitored.
Broadcasting Frequently Asked Questions
Jola gives partners serving broadcasters a multi-network SIM proposition backed by a white label management portal for tracking usage and managing SIMs across every production and location. Flexible, pooled data bundles mean partners are not tied to fixed allowances that do not match the way broadcast schedules actually work.
Broadcasters typically need connectivity that works in places with unpredictable coverage, from remote outside locations to crowded events where local networks can become congested, and they need it to be resilient enough for content that is going out live with no opportunity to redo it. Production schedules also change quickly, so the connectivity itself needs to be as flexible as the teams using it.
With crews and equipment often spread across multiple locations and productions at once, broadcasters need visibility of every SIM in use, not just the ones on air that day. A single management portal that shows usage and status across the whole SIM estate makes it possible to spot problems before they affect a broadcast and to reallocate data between teams as productions change.
Moving live transmission onto multi-network 4G and 5G mobile data is generally far cheaper than booking satellite time or laying a dedicated line for a single broadcast, particularly for short-notice or one-off events. Flexible, pooled data bundles across a fleet of SIMs also mean broadcasters are not paying for capacity they only need occasionally.
In broadcasting there is often no second take. A dropped connection during a live report, an outside broadcast or a breaking news feed is visible to the audience in real time, so the connectivity behind the scenes needs to be as resilient as the equipment carrying it.
A live broadcast cannot afford to lose signal mid-transmission, so multi-network SIMs are used to draw on several mobile operators at once rather than relying on a single network’s coverage in that location. If one network is congested or has a coverage gap, the feed can continue over the others, which matters when a broadcast is going out live and cannot simply be re-recorded.
Broadcasters increasingly use 4G and 5G mobile data instead of satellite trucks or fixed lines to get pictures and sound out from the field. Camera crews and outside broadcast units connect via 4G-enabled encoders, bonding several connections together where needed to get enough bandwidth for a live feed, which makes it possible to broadcast live from locations that would once have needed a satellite uplink or a dedicated line booked weeks in advance.