171121 GSA EMBMS November 2017

LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) MarketUpdate November 2017 has seen some significant developments within the LTE Broadcast 2017 ecosystem, and whilst the operator community has yet to deploy services en masse we can expect these recent changes to go a long way in pump-priming the market. 37 operators are First, in its latest release, Release 14, the 3GPP has enhanced the investing in eMBMS specifications for eMBMS with a view to making the technology more and 3 operators attractive for deployment by operators and broadcasters. The changes have launched service address many of the technology limitations discovered by early triallists (see http://www.3gpp.org/news-events/3gpp-news/1905-embms_r14). 6 operators Second, the chipset ecosystem has evolved to the point where device launched or manufacturers have a choice of chipsets offering eMBMS support. See the committed to GSA Chipset Report published November 2017. launch services Third, although the device ecosystem remains nascent, Google has added eMBMS support to its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and revealed Enhanced support for eMBMS in the new Android 8.1 operating system – a move specifications in 3GPP Rel. 14 that will likely make it more accessible to consumers through its inclusion in a much wider range of phones. Finally, more operators have launched or committed to launching services using eMBMS in 2017. 37 operators are known to have been investing in eMBMS trials, deployments or launches. Three operators have now launched services using eMBMS; three more have committed to launch; whilst 31 further operators have been testing / trialling the technology. eMBMS Overview LTE Broadcast is enabled by eMBMS: a 3GPP standardized technology that allows mobile operators to use a proportion of their network capacity for broadcast of popular content or data. This means they can use the same broadcast stream to serve multiple – theoretically unlimited – customers within a single cell with the same video, TV or other data service, instead of GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 1 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association music. cell sites can be grouped to target areas into which the same content will be broadcast. on the same frequencies. GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 2 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association . software. It sends the content once. The technology is also of interest to broadcasters and media companies keen to reach new mobile-equipped audiences for their content and services. The result is a potential substantial reduction in the amount of network resource used to deliver the content. All kinds of content can be broadcast – linear and live TV and video. or MBSFN). Any compatible device within the area of the SFN can pick up the broadcast (a Multimedia Broadcast Service over a Single Frequency Network. and opens up new business opportunities for mobile operators. Alternatively. Alternatively. receiving multiple transmissions of the same data from different towers. The operator has the flexibility to decide how much of its spectrum resource to dedicate to LTE Broadcast. transmissions to different devices are all set up and delivered independently. This has a potentially major impact on the capacity needed to deliver popular content. needing to unicast delivery of the same information to every user individually. even if different users want to receive the same content. at the same time. This use of multiple towers can mean improved service quality for customers in cell overlap areas as their devices no longer need to rely on a weak signal from a single tower. MBMS Operation On Demand (MOOD) – standardized in 3GPP Release 12 – provides operators with the ability to turn eMBMS on or off dynamically. Towers in those groups will broadcast the same content. If five people in the same cell want to receive the same live TV content. using distinct portions of the operator’s spectrum resource. images or data) to end users. and can allocate proportions of different carriers for either unicast or broadcast content (or more recently. both – see below). Mobile networks traditionally use a unicast approach to deliver content (including video. In other words. but presenting to the end user only a single channel. the network must deliver that content five times. TV. data and information. static content. according to network requirements. linear and live music. Tower broadcasts within the SFN are carefully synchronized. LTE Broadcast uses a multicast approach. The operator has the option to implement the technology on a cell-by-cell basis so that LTE Broadcast only consumes capacity in areas where the operator wants the service to be offered. creating what is called a Single Frequency Network (SFN). and that same content is received by all the users who want to receive it. Those proportions can be given different profiles at different times of the day. a single cell site can be a member of multiple MBSFN groups. Operators who have introduced commercial services include: KT (South Korea). to support longer inter-site distances improves eMBMS •• improved spectral efficiency for roof-top and car-mounted antennas performance and the business case •• introduction of both dedicated and mixed eMBMS services over a single carrier •• new Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe types to reduce the eMBMS transmission overhead •• eMBMS broadcast sharing that will enable operators (and others) to aggregate eMBMS networks into a single content distribution platform •• an eMBMS receive-only mode – devices without SIM cards can access broadcast content. was a major breakthrough for LTE Broadcast in the last quarter. 14 •• use of a larger Cyclic Prefix. These changes will be critical for fostering increased introduction of eMBMS by operators and broadcasters by making services more economically and technically attractive to deploy. Moreover. and by increasing accessibility of services to a variety of new device types. China Unicom used eMBMS technology to provide live high-definition virtual reality video coverage of the launch ceremony for its “Gigabit LTE” network to passengers on the Hainan Island high-speed rail service (its “high-speed rail theatre”). giving the operator flexibility in terms of where and when to deliver different types of content to different types of user. One urban cell might for instance be part of a group dedicated to delivering software downloads for business users. The commercial launch of LTE Broadcast in China. by China Unicom. The recently finalized 3GPP Release 14 specification has evolved the eMBMS standard significantly. commercial services have already been launched. and also part of a group delivering live content to sports fans in a stadium. Changes will enable: 3GPP Rel. In a select few cases. critical for expanding the device ecosystem to TVs •• free-to-air content broadcast over eMBMS •• new APIs to simplify eMBMS application creation for developers •• new codecs and media formats to align with broadcast industry requirements (with support for HDR to be added in 3GPP Release 15). Trials and Deployments Numerous network operators have been testing eMBMS. Verizon (USA) and China Unicom. with its role changing at different times of the day or week. GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 3 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association . Telstra reaffirms introduced before the end of the year – include eMBMS support for Telstra commitment to Media Services and a new 24x7 linear streaming channel. as well as Service Continuity between unicast and broadcast coverage areas in its network. Telstra is working with Ericsson and Expway to introduce Multicast Operation on Demand (MOOD). China Mobile Meanwhile. Deploying or Commercial eMBMS networks Country Operator/ Status Broadcaster Australia Telstra Deploying – first products expected to launch in 2017 Belgium Telenet Testing Brazil Claro and NET Trialled Brazil Vivo Tested Canada Bell Mobility Tested China China Mobile Trialled China China Unicom Launched China China Telecom Large-scale user trial France Orange Trialled Germany T-Mobile Tested Germany Vodafone Trialled Hong Kong China Mobile Demonstrated Hong Kong PCCW (CSL) Internal tests GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 4 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association . the three partners have been engaged in interoperability testing for these features. Fox and Ericsson customers equipped with a trial app to receive personalised pre- loads of premium content – in this case enabling instant access to blockbuster titles in HD 1080p format. The first enabled services – scheduled to be service. and it is working with Ericsson to achieve 100% network coverage in 2018. news clips and games highlights. These will initially service launch be available on Samsung devices. Telstra said early in 2017 that 99% of its 4GX network sites were already LTE Broadcast capable. In addition. A one-month trial running from February to March 2017 enabled a closed group of Telstra. Table 1: Trialling. with a production pilot planned. AT&T (USA) and Globe (Philippines) have stated they are deploying the technology. Other products on the roadmap include live sports coverage beyond stadiums. pre-loading of popular content. Telstra and Ericsson launched a trial with Twentieth Century Fox to test LTE Broadcast for delivery of the latter’s content. Following demonstrations of MOOD by Telstra and Expway at MWC in February 2017. Telstra reaffirmed in 2017 its commitment to deploy LTE launches eMBMS Broadcast across its network. Modern Cinema Group (China). BBC (UK). In France in September 2017 Expway. research institute of broadcasting companies in Austria. RAI (Italy). eMBMS and Public Safety One of the key use cases for eMBMS/LTE Broadcast is delivery of communications for public safety (mission critical) services.g. Bavarian broadcast company. Germany and Switzerland. IRT (Institut für Rundfunktechnik. Bayerischer Rundfunk. SWR (Germany) and YLE in Finland. GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 5 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association . Country Operator/ Status Broadcaster India RJIL Trialled Indonesia Smartfren Demonstrated/internally trialled Italy TIM Trialled Japan Softbank Trialled Netherlands KPN Trialled Philippines Globe Deploying Philippines Smart Trialled Poland Polkomtel Plus Trialled Portugal Meo Trialling Portugal Vodafone Tested Russia Megafon Lab tests Russia MTS Trialled Russia Tele2 In development Singapore SingTel Trialling South Korea KT Launched South Korea SK Telecom In development Spain Vodafone Trialled Turkey Turkcell Demonstrated UAE Etisalat Trialling UK EE Trialling UK Three UK Trialling USA AT&T Trials. and further research partners). deploying USA Verizon Launched Vietnam MobiFone Trialled Alongside network operators various TV broadcasters and content owners have engaged in LTE Broadcast trials in recent years e. Nemergent and Bittium demonstrated end-to- end multicast group calls using eMBMS for mission-critical push-to-talk that complied with 3GPP Release 13 specifications. Twentieth Century Fox (Australia). TDF (France). GSA has now identified 37 different support eMBMS commercial mobile processors / platforms and 8 commercial cellular modems that come with eMBMS support (though they will not all support the same eMBMS feature sets and functionalities). eMBMS Chipsets The range of chipsets available that can support eMBMS has been steadily growing. Telstra has announced that. The latest entries to the market came from MediaTek. eMBMS and Content/Data Delivery Various companies have been involved in recent trials or demonstrations to showcase the potential of eMBMS for efficient data delivery. The technology will in the future enhance Telstra’s already available LTE Advanced Network for Emergency Services (LANES) solution. providing prioritised access for emergency services communications. which has launched the Snapdragon cellular modems 835 containing the X16 LTE modem. GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 6 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association . showing simultaneous delivery of large files to multiple destinations. It can also be used for enterprise PTT services. Commercial service launch is planned for 2018. working with Ericsson. Meanwhile. Its main route to market will be through mobile operators. and from Qualcomm. This work includes provision of funding to get the technology deployed – specifically in emerging markets. In Germany Expway and Vodafone demonstrated eMBMS based over-the-air firmware and HD map updates to a fleet of vehicles. film and games distributor Modern Cinema Group has revealed it is developing a means of using MBMS and eMBMS in 3G and LTE networks in combination with pre-loading and local device storage to deliver its high definition content. The two companies also demonstrated delivery of HD TV channels and video on demand using LTE Broadcast to a moving car. Meanwhile China-based TV. We are also aware of one additional pre-commercial mobile processor/platform. which has 37 commercial added eMBMS capability to its MT6739 chipset that can be used in Android OS mobile processors/ platforms and 8 powered phones. The partners have stated that they plan to continue to develop the full range of 3GPP Mission Critical Push-to-Talk Release 13 and 14 capabilities. it has delivered LTE-Broadcast-enabled push-to-talk (PTT) – based on 3GPP Release 13 standard MC-PTT over LTE. Motorola and Qualcomm. 415. 617. Galaxy S5. 210. platform GDM7243QT. XMM7262. 435. many more have been used in trials after specific configuration – including the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. 821. 430. 212. 427. Huawei P2. XMM 7360 GCT Mobile processor/ GDM7243S. GSA understands that some Samsung devices are used to support commercial services – for instance in South Korea – but has not so far been able to identify specific models. 820. 801. Huawei C8817e. X12 MediaTek Mobile processor/ MT6739 platform Sequans Mobile processor/ Cassiopeia. 625. 660. GDM7243ST. GSA has currently only identified 15 commercially available eMBMS devices. 400. Table 3: eMBMS-Capable Devices Vendor Model Form Factor Airwire Technologies LTE Mobile Hotspot Router Bittium Tough Mobile 5 inch Phone Bittium Tough Mobile B28 Variant Phone D-Link DMW-301 USB modem D-Link eMBMS TV Dongle USB modem E-Fun Ares 8L Tablet PC E-Fun Ares 10L Tablet PC Franklin Wireless R800 Series Hotspot 2 Router HTC One M9 LTE-A HTC6535LVW for Verizon Wireless Phone Huawei B5328-58 Indoor CPE Router Huawei B5328-155 Indoor CPE Router Motorola Droid Turbo 2 XLTE XT1585 Phone Sequans EZLinkLTE VZ22Q for Verizon Module Sequans EZLinkLTE VZ22M for Verizon Module TCL P688L Phone GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 7 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association . Galaxy S6. 653. Snapdragon Wear 2100 Qualcomm Cellular modem Snapdragon X7. 630. X20. 412. GDM7243Q Quad. X16. the number of devices has not. GDM7243A. Mont Blanc platform Altair Mobile processor Alt3800 Semiconductor Intel Cellular modem XMM 7160. Huawei Ascend G6. platform 800. 650. and the LG G3. 616. 808. 652. 410. XMM 7260. Table 2: Chipset Vendors and Chipsets that Support eMBMS Vendor Type Chipsets Qualcomm Mobile processor/ Snapdragon 835. 810. 450. GDM7243AU (pre- commercial) Devices Whilst the range of chipsets has been growing. 626. X5. 805. 1 devices containing Qualcomm chipsets. Android 8. The final version of the software is due for release in December 2017. Reviewers are reporting that it has introduced AOSP (Android eMBMS support Open Source Project) for eMBMS and is introducing support for eMBMS on Android 8.1 for its Nexus and Pixel devices will include devices.1 for An important development on the device front came in October 2017 when Qualcomm-based Google released a developer preview of Android 8. Various Google devices – including various Google Nexus and Pixel smartphones – are compatible with the software. GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 8 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association . com/groups?gid=2313721 Twitter: www.facebook. systems or services related to the mobile industry and brings many benefits including access to the GAMBoD database.com GSA Report |November 2017| LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) Market Update 9 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association .com/gsa-membership/ News/updates RSS Feed: https://gsacom.com/rss-feeds/ GSA LinkedIn group: www. networking and influencing opportunities on the key industry topics.linkedin. capabilities.com Tel: +44 330 113 1572 GSA website: https://gsacom. test equipment. More details can be found at https://gsacom.twitter. 4G.com Research feedback email: research@gsacom. The range of benefits includes enhanced discussion.com/pages/Global-mobile-Suppliers-Association- GSA/123462771012551 NOTES: Errors & Omissions Excepted Contact GSA Secretariat Email: info@gsacom. About GSA GSA (the Global mobile Suppliers Association) is a not-for-profit industry organisation representing companies across the worldwide mobile ecosystem engaged in the supply of infrastructure. devices. 5G – and is a single source of information resource for industry reports and market intelligence. positioning and messages.com/gsacom Facebook: www. semiconductors. applications and mobile support services. Membership of GSA is open to any supplier of products. and unique promotional/visibility opportunities for your company name. GSA actively promotes the 3GPP technology road-map – 3G. GSA Members drive the GSA agenda and define the communications and development strategy for the Association.