First End-to-End 5G Broadcast Solution with Full Release 19 Feature Set

A major milestone for the global 5G Broadcast ecosystem is reached: The latest 3GPP Release 19 specifications are now finalized and implemented. Big Blue Marble is the first company worldwide to offer an end-to-end 5G Broadcast solution with Nakolos and it’s partners. The complete set of Release 19-related 5G Broadcast features is supported. 

Built on a carrier-grade, 3GPP-native architecture, Nakolos has continuously evolved its platform from Release 14 through Release 19. This enables broadcasters and broadcast network operators to prepare for the next generation of mobile content distribution.  

This achievement has been made possible through close collaboration with its ecosystem partners. Including bitstem, whose newly released 5GR receiver platform now allows customers to validate and measure the benefits of the latest Release 19 capabilities in real-world environments. 

Full Release 19 Feature Validation Now Possible 

Customers using the Nakolos 5G Broadcast platform together with transmitters from its partners TRedess, SYES and GatesAir, as well as the bitstem 5GR receiver platform, can now evaluate and validate all major Release 19 5G Broadcast enhancements in real-world deployments, including: 

• Time Frequency Interleaving (TFI): Enables the reuse of existing transmission sites while significantly improving signal robustness and reception performance  

• CAS-Muting functionality: Allows reuse of existing DVB-T2 infrastructure for 5G Broadcast transmission and reduces substantially initial rollout investments  

• Support for the new early-deployment frequency bands B112 (targeting the U.S. market) and B113 (targeting Europe and other global markets) 

These features represent a major technological step forward for Broadcast Network Operators (BNOs). They are enabling more cost-efficient deployments and improved service resilience while leveraging existing terrestrial broadcast infrastructure. 

Two Years of Standardization Efforts Paying Off 

The Nakolos team has been actively supporting and contributing to the industry-wide standardization efforts over the past two years together with organizations such as the European Broadcasting Union, Broadcast Networks Europe, and many additional ecosystem partners.  

The completion and finalization of Release 19 standardization work at the end of last year marks an important turning point for the entire industry. The newly introduced features clearly demonstrate substantial operational and economic advantages for broadcasters and network operators preparing commercial 5G Broadcast services. 

Nakolos has consistently focused on translating standardization progress into deployable, interoperable real-world solutions — from seamless broadband/broadcast switching and emergency warning services to large-scale broadcast deployments and satellite-supported transmission scenarios.  

From Pre-Commercial Trials to Real 5G Broadcast Rollouts 

While many market activities today still focus on pre-commercial demonstrations and isolated proof-of-concept trials, Nakolos enables real 5G Broadcast deployments supporting the complete evolution of the standard — from Release 14 up to and including Release 19. 

This allows broadcasters and network operators to prepare their infrastructure today for the first generation of commercial 5G Broadcast-enabled devices expected to enter the market in the coming years. 

If you are interested in moving beyond trials and preparing your network for real commercial 5G Broadcast services, contact the Nakolos team at: office@nakolos.com  

If you are interested in measuring and evaluating the receiver-side performance improvements introduced with Release 19:

Here you will find more information about the bitstem 5GR receiver platform