5G goes to the seventh hole of U.S. Open in a collaboration among FOX Sports, AT&T, Ericsson and Intel.
Two FOX Sports cameras will transmit 4K HDR images over a 5G network from the seventh hole at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club during the U.S. Open Championship in mid-June. The video will be available for use in the nationwide FOX Sports broadcast.
AT&T, Ericsson, Intel and the Fox Innovation Lab collaborated in this effort, according to FOX’s press release. 5G wireless technology will transmit 4K HDR images from the cameras.
AT&T is using millimeter wave spectrum to deliver the 5G connection. Ericsson is providing 5G radios and baseband, a simulated network core, and the 4K video encoder and decoder. Intel is providing its 5G Mobile Trial Platform, a device that can transmit 1.6 Gbs/s. It will be at the seventh hole to deliver the 5G to IP translation.
The video will transmit through the FOX Sports production truck, making it available to FOX Sports and its viewers through DirecTV.
FOX says in its press release that in the future 5G could possibly be used to deliver real-time virtual reality views from the course to viewers.
South Korean mobile operator KT used Intel’s 5G Mobile Trial Platform in the Winter Olympics and the platform is part of the planning with Japan’s mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo for the 2020 Olympics. Sports is seen as a fertile proving ground and market for 5G.
The U.S. Open golf competition is held annually at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y.
