5G Broadcast back at Olympics
FROM THE EDITOR
February 14, 2026
As winter sports take center stage and the world turns its attention to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, an exciting chapter for 5G Broadcast is unfolding behind the scenes. Once again, the Olympics — one of the most demanding and widely viewed live-event environments — is serving as a proving ground for broadcast innovation and real-world application.
Italian public broadcaster Rai, together with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has launched 5G Broadcast trials during the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. These trials build on demonstrations from the Paris 2024 Olympics and are designed to evaluate how 5G Broadcast can deliver live, free-to-air content directly to smartphones and compatible devices using traditional broadcast infrastructure and 5G standards — without congesting mobile networks or consuming viewers’ data allowances
At the same time, significant momentum is building in around Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcast technology. Recent public support from the Indian government has reinforced D2M as a strategic national initiative aimed at delivering next-generation television and data services directly to mobile devices. India’s scale makes this particularly significant: enabling broadcast-to-mobile delivery in one of the world’s largest markets signals real institutional confidence in the model.
While D2M remains a developing ecosystem with important device and regulatory milestones yet to be reached, the narrative is becoming increasingly clear, broadcast technology works with mobile networks not instead of them, creating a collaborative architecture where broadcast technologies enhance the efficiency, reach, and resilience of existing mobile ecosystems. The combination strengthens national infrastructure, expands access, and opens new opportunities for both broadcasters and mobile network operators
As we move deeper into 2026, we’ll continue to watch how these trials evolve, in the meantime reach out to schedule a meeting with us at MWC..
(Editor, 5G Broadcast Collective)
ARTICLES
5G broadcast trials underway at Winter Olympics
Italian public service broadcaster Rai and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are conducting new 5G broadcast trials during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which run from 6-22 February 2026. “With 5G broadcast, we can bring live content directly to compatible devices with broadcast efficiency – opening the door to better coverage, improved resilience, and new ways to reach audiences on the move.”
5G Broadcast Accelerator: The Road to 100 Million Devices
5G Broadcast is moving from trials to reality. With networks ready, content providers committed and global standards in place, the focus is now firmly on commercialisation and scale.5G Broadcast is moving from trials to reality. With networks ready, content providers committed and global standards in place, the focus is now firmly on commercialisation and scale.
Broadcasting, Tech industry welcome CoS nod to D2M as govt bats for Next Gen TV
The government’s decision to green-light Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcasting while simultaneously setting up a high-level committee to address stakeholder concerns has drawn a positive response from industry players, reflecting both optimism around indigenous innovation in the broadcasting sector.
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