Spectrum Evolution and VSatcast Accelerate NextGen TV Deployment Through Network Function Virtualization

Companies collaborate to deliver cloud-hosted ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Internet service

Spectrum Evolution Inc. (SEI) and VSatcast Inc. (VSI) announce the successful implementation of the first “touchless deployment” of a Network Function Virtualization (NFV), cloud-hosted, Broadcast Internet service. This is a significant step in deploying the broadcast component of the 5G network and delivering broadband content and data services to home, office, and mobile end users on a one-to-everyone basis.

Massive demand for video streaming creates bottlenecks across the internet, as thousands of separate files of the same content are individually transmitted to viewers. The SEI and VSI hybrid broadcast-broadband network will pre-position popular video content in consumer homes, eliminating IP bandwidth bottlenecks and maintaining content quality.

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The NFV Broadcast Internet service deployment was orchestrated by VSI, leveraging its content delivery network platform. As the broadcaster, SEI utilized its WatchTV facilities in Portland, Ore. to host the IP multicasting Broadcast Internet service. The “touchless deployment” enabled VSI to deploy the service remotely via the cloud, without requiring on-site teams or installation of new physical equipment. SEI and VSI initiated the deployment of this Broadcast Internet service on July 29. The service has been in testing for the past 60 days.

“We are exceptionally proud to have helped facilitate this exciting, first-of-its-kind software solution for ATSC 3.0 operations,” said Greg Herman, President and CEO of WatchTV, Inc. and Spectrum Evolution Inc. “The ability to virtualize these essential components of the transmission chain will provide substantial improvements to reduce both the cost and the construction time for large-scale Broadcast Internet service deployments.”

VSI and SEI collaborated with Broadpeak, ENENSYS Technologies, Alticast, and BitRouter, with each company providing technical solutions to create a cloud-hosted Broadcast Internet service that enables broadcasters to adopt ATSC 3.0 capabilities bringing NextGen TV to fruition.

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“We are delighted to participate in this innovative experimentation as a technology partner and ATSC3.0 solution provider,” said Richard Lhermitte, Vice President, Solution & Market Development at ENENSYS Technologies. “We’ve put our experience at the service of VSI. The flexibility of our products — MediaCast and SmartGate, based on software and virtualized architecture — have allowed us to adapt to the constraints and requirements of this project, offering the support of any type of NextGen TV services, from linear live TV and NRT, to push content and Broadcast Internet.”

“I am always amazed to witness customer breakthrough innovations using Broadpeak’s nanoCDN multicast ABR, edge CDN, edge caching, and our cloud technologies to deliver video content that people love, to end users,” said Jacques Le Mancq, President and CEO at Broadpeak. “The marriage of broadcast networks and broadband CDN solutions, like Broadpeak’s, truly is a match made in heaven. We applaud VSatcast’s innovation. The combination of both our capabilities makes massive delivery at scale possible for big live events, at the lowest possible latency, all while reducing core network traffic through the use the ATSC 3.0 broadcast. Bravo.”

“Alticast is excited to be part of this revolutionary effort with Spectrum Evolution and VSatcast by facilitating the advanced benefits of ATSC 3.0 in consumer devices,” said Jae Park, President and General Manager of Alticast Americas. “By leveraging our expertise in the broadcast industry from the past two decades, Alticast is proud to offer a packaged software solution for in-home and mobile use to promote increased choice for content consumption and meet today’s viewer expectations.”

Gopal Miglani, President and Founder of BitRouter, added, “We are excited to integrate ATSC3pak, our field-proven ATSC 3.0 receiver software stack, with the VSI and Spectrum Evolution ecosystem.”

SEI and VSI are collaborating with other licensed TV broadcasters to launch commercial services in early 2021. This new network of broadcasters plans to rapidly expand its services.

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