The 2024 Shanghai Marathon took a step forward in developing how large-scale events can leverage cutting-edge technology to meet the growing demands of modern broadcasting. Events like marathons pose unique challenges, requiring seamless connectivity to manage multiple live perspectives and high-definition transmissions across expansive areas with varying environmental conditions. Ensuring reliable network performance in dense urban settings involves overcoming obstacles such as signal interference, network congestion, and uneven terrain.
These events demand not only robust technology but also innovative solutions tailored to the complexities of live broadcasting and participant engagement. This year, connectivity at the Shanghai Marathon was powered by China Mobile Shanghai’s 5G-A technology, also known as 5.5G, a groundbreaking evolution of traditional 5G technologies that provides a significant improvement in speed, stability, and versatility, helping broadcasters deliver an immersive experience to viewers and increasing connectivity options for participants and spectators.
ADVERTISEMENT5G-A: advancing connectivity to new heights
5G-A represents a major evolution, offering enhanced speed, reliability, and functionality. It addresses specific demands for ultra-high-definition live streaming, low latency, and network stability.
It introduces state-of-the-art technologies like synaesthesia, a groundbreaking feature enabling networks to integrate and process multiple types of sensory data, such as audio and visual inputs, to create richer, more interactive experiences. Another innovation is passive IoT, which allows connections to devices that operate with minimal energy consumption by leveraging ambient signals, drastically extending the possibilities for connected technologies in energy-constrained environments. The network is also able to monitor itself - endogenous intelligence is a revolutionary aspect of 5G-A, where the network autonomously analyses and optimises its performance in real-time, adapting to changing demands and enhancing overall efficiency.
These advances enable 5G-A to excel in large-scale urban events like the Shanghai Marathon, providing a connectivity infrastructure that allows download speeds exceeding 1Gbps and an upload capacity capable of supporting high-bitrate requirements for 4K and even 8K live streaming.
Transforming live broadcasts and audience engagement
Access to a new level of connectivity allowed broadcasters to transform the coverage of the 2024 Shanghai Marathon through China Mobile Shanghai’s 5G-A. The marathon introduced a “star run” feature that combined live commentary with on-track perspectives. Renowned sports commentator Liu Jianhong and marathon athlete Li Zhixuan provided expert insights from the studio, with Liu Jianhong also joining the 5KM health run, and popular singer Jiang Yingrong and professional athletes participated, wearing 5G-A-enabled broadcasting gear. This tech-powered setup allowed for a variety of first-person perspectives, bringing the energy and emotions of the race directly to viewers.
5G-A’s advanced capabilities also extended beyond the broadcast imagery, supporting spectator and participant engagement during the event. Fans along the route could instantly share race updates, photos, and videos on social media, helping to amplify the marathon’s reach to a global audience in real-time.
ADVERTISEMENTDelivering superior speed and stability
Stability is a critical challenge for large-scale sporting events like marathons, where network congestion or signal interference can severely disrupt broadcasts. Older technologies often struggle to handle the immense data traffic generated during such events, but with 5G-A the use of "private network channels" directly addresses these issues by prioritising the transmission of live broadcast signals. This approach ensures seamless coverage, minimising disruptions caused by general congestion or interference, and delivering a consistent viewing experience for audiences.
In terms of speed, 5G-A's uplink performance can handle the high-bitrate demands of 4K and 8K live streaming, with latency reduced to an almost imperceptible level, ensuring that broadcasters and spectators can rely on the connectivity throughout the event.
As 5G-A technology continues to evolve, its applications will extend beyond live broadcasting into a range of other sectors. In manufacturing, it can revolutionise production processes by supporting interconnected factories with predictive maintenance powered by IoT devices and autonomous vehicles can benefit from the ultra-reliable and low-latency networks of 5G-A, ensuring safer navigation and better integration into smart transportation systems.
As this technology continues to advance, its impact will stretch far beyond marathons, driving innovation and setting the stage for a more interconnected and intelligent future.