Disclaimer: The author used Gemini to identify and research companies involved in 5G Broadcast networks.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Introduction:

Several companies and consortiums, including XGen Global, X1 Mobile, Tyche Media, Milachi Media, and startup Castanet, are actively building and planning to deploy 5G Broadcast networks, with significant U.S. and international activity expected throughout 2026. These initiatives focus on delivering linear TV, data, and emergency alerts directly to mobile devices.  These projects aim to solve a fundamental technical flaw: standard cellular networks (unicast) struggle to scale when millions of users try to watch the same live content simultaneously. By using a one-to-many transmission model, these networks can deliver high-quality content to an unlimited number of devices without increasing network congestion.

As of early 2026, deployments focus on five key “datacasting” categories:

• Live Media & Entertainment: High-definition (4K/8K) video and audio for major sporting events, concerts, and festivals, delivered with ultra-low latency (under 1 second).
• Emergency Alerts: Rapid, reliable public safety notifications, including real-time video, hazard maps, and evacuation guidance, which bypass congested cellular towers during disasters.
• Automotive Updates: Efficient delivery of firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates and real-time infotainment/traffic data to millions of vehicles simultaneously.
• Network Resilience & Offloading: Serving as a “release valve” for mobile carriers by handling massive data spikes, such as viral video events or large software releases.
• Education: Remote learning and virtual classroom delivery in rural areas that lack reliable internet or cellular coverage

The global market for these services is projected to reach approximately $1.16 billion in 2026, according to Mordor Intelligence.  It’s being driven largely by large-scale deployments in the Asia-Pacific region and early commercial pilots in the U.S.  Please see: Other 5G Broadcast Projects below.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Castanet’s 5G Broadcast Project:

Castanet plans to build a national 5G Broadcast network in the U.S., utilizing hundreds of low-power TV (LPTV) stations [1.] to cover 95% of the population. The company is planning to conduct at least three field trials this year. In a FCC ex parte filed February 12th related with the coming upper C-band spectrum auction, Castanet told the agency that two commercial pilots – in Santa Clara, California (this author’s home town for 56 years), and Las Vegas, Nevada – could be operational by this April.  The Woodinville, WA based startup is also pursuing a pilot in Washington, DC, with Sinclair Broadcast Group “as soon as possible,” according to the FCC filing.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Note 1. In the United States, LPTV is currently the primary FCC regulatory path for 5G Broadcast. Internationally, many projects utilize high-power/high-tower (HPHT) infrastructure.  The FCC has not yet authorized 5G Broadcast for full-power TV stations. Consequently, companies like Castanet and XGen Network are building their networks by partnering with LPTV stations, which serve as a more flexible “testbed” for the technology. Major LPTV owner HC2 Broadcasting has specifically petitioned the FCC to allow LPTV stations to adopt the 5G Broadcast standard voluntarily.  U.S. stations WWOO-LD  (Boston) and WTXX-LD  (Hartford) operate under experimental licenses specifically granted to LPTV stations to test 5G signals.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Castanet believes its approach is fully authorized under the FCC’s existing Broadcast Internet service rules.  From the company’s ex parte:

“Because Castanet’s planned network can provide synergistic capacity that will help C-band users transition to Ku-band at lower cost, this and the contemplated meeting notice will also be filed in this C-band docket, although most of the update is not directly related to the C-band rulemaking.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

These trials are materializing as Castanet advances a 5G Broadcast (5G-MAG) architecture designed for spectral coexistence with ATSC 3.0 [2]. By leveraging the ATSC 3.0 “minimum time to next” (MTN) signaling, Castanet can effectively multiplex 5G Broadcast payloads into temporal gaps within the IP-based broadcast stream.  Castanet’s ex parte said two cable industry organizations – ACA Connects and NCTA – have “expressed strong interest” in its approach. A person familiar with those discussions disagreed with Castanet’s language in describing those talks with ACA and NCTA, but added that this does not mean Castanet’s approach couldn’t provide a viable alternative.

Note 2. ATSC 3.0 is the emerging IP-based broadcast signaling standard from Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC).  It supports 4K, high dynamic range (HDR), immersive audio, advanced advertising and data casting services.

Vern Fotheringham, Executive Director at Castanet, confirmed to Light Reading that the initial market deployment focuses on the San Jose, CA metro area in partnership with Major Market Broadcasting, utilizing assets such as KAAP 24 and KMMC 30. A second pilot is slated for Las Vegas via a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with HC2 Broadcasting, targeting a launch coinciding with the NAB Show. Fotheringham added that Castanet could also contribute its satellite content delivery network – used to feed its national terrestrial transmission sites – to cable operators and programmers.

Beyond these technical validations, Castanet is targeting the LPTV (Low Power TV) sector to enable high-margin data casting and interactive dual-screen services. The initial focus will be a mobile app that allows users to interact during live, local game broadcasts. That mobile app will enable real-time interaction during live sports broadcasts based on future 3GPP spec compliant handsets.

Related 3GPP Release Specifications:

• Release 16 (The “5G Broadcast” Baseline): Finalized in 2020, this release established the core 5G Broadcast specifications. It introduced enhancements to the enTV (enhanced TV) standard from Release 14, allowing for standalone terrestrial broadcast operation without requiring a SIM card or a cellular unicast connection.
• Release 17 (Architecture & Hybrid Operations): This release defined the 5G Multicast-Broadcast Services (MBS) architecture. It introduced support for 6/7/8 MHz carrier bandwidths, specifically aligning with global terrestrial broadcast channel spacing. Crucially, it enabled dynamic switching between point-to-multipoint (PTM) and point-to-point (PTP) delivery, facilitating the “dual-screen” and interactive use cases mentioned in your text.
• Release 18 & 19 (Future-Proofing): Known as 5G-Advanced, these releases focus on improving performance for high-power, high-tower (HPHT) deployments and adding AI-driven network management. Release 19 specifically approved Bands 112 and 113 for LTE-based 5G terrestrial broadcast, ensuring broader spectrum availability

Castanet’s strategic roadmap extends beyond traditional media delivery, positioning its high-power terrestrial infrastructure as a multi-tenant platform for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and Edge-based Content Delivery.   Technical Initiatives include:

• Terrestrial PNT (“GPS on the Ground”): The platform is engineered to provide high-penetration, long-range positioning services. By leveraging the high processing gain of broadcast waveforms, Castanet aims to mitigate the link budget limitations and multipath interference common in satellite-based GPS (GNSS) within indoor and urban canyon environments.
• Low-Latency Edge CDN: By integrating Edge Cache modules into home media gateways, connected vehicle platforms, and 5G handsets, Castanet is deploying a distributed Content Delivery Network (CDN). This architecture utilizes the inherent efficiency of one-to-many broadcast for data dissemination, significantly reducing backhaul congestion and latency for high-demand assets.
• To achieve national scale, Castanet is executing an aggressive LPTV (Low Power TV) acquisition and partnership strategy. The company estimates that a footprint of 1,200 stations will provide approximately 95% POP coverage across the U.S.

This hybrid Owned & Operated partner model allows Castanet to maintain spectral density while minimizing CAPEX, ensuring the necessary footprint for a standardized national 5G-MAG (Multimedia Action Group) ecosystem.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Other 5G Broadcast Projects:

• XGen Network / X1 Mobile: Led by “SuperFrank” Copsidas, this company is deploying 5G Broadcast enabled TV stations in the U.S.. In early 2026, stations in Boston (WCRN and WWOO) applied for experimental licenses, part of a rollout intended to cover over 40 million people.
• HC2 Broadcasting: As the largest LPTV broadcaster in the U.S., HC2 has petitioned the FCC to adopt 5G Broadcast as an authorized transmission standard for low-power stations.
• Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm, and Motorola: These companies are collaborating on international 5G Broadcast proofs of concept, recently demonstrating live television delivery to Motorola handsets at events like the SET Expo 2025 in Brazil.
• China Mobile & China Unicom: China Mobile launched the world’s first commercial 5G-Advanced broadcast service in 100 cities in early 2025, with plans to reach 300 by the end of that year.
• Milachi Media and Tyche Media: These licensees are among the first in the U.S. to apply for experimental 5G Broadcast licenses to test video, audio, and data delivery to first responders and mobile receivers.
• Austrian Broadcasting Services (ORS): Through its brand Nakolos, ORS has been a pioneer in Europe, establishing a 5G Broadcast testbed in Vienna and developing apps that switch between traditional streaming and 5G Broadcast signals. 
• Verizon Business: Unveiled a private 5G broadcast solution at NAB 2025, using AI and NVIDIA technology to manage simultaneous 4K camera feeds for live events.

Technical and Infrastructure Partners:

• Ericsson and Nokia: While they focus heavily on standard 5G infrastructure, both provide the 5G Core and radio technology that supports broadcast capabilities and private 5G networks for media production.
• Neutral Wireless and DigiCap: These firms provide the specialized modulators and scheduling software required to “slot” 5G Broadcast signals into existing TV spectrum.
• Milachi Media & Tyche Media: These licensees are leading trials in the Boston area, reaching over 8 million people with experimental 5G Broadcast facilities.

Use Cases Being Developed:

• Live Events: Delivering high-definition sports and concerts to fans in stadiums without congesting cellular networks.
• Public Safety: Sending emergency alerts and real-time data to first responders.
• Data Offloading: Pre-staging large software updates (e.g., for autonomous vehicles) or video payloads on device caches during off-peak hours. 

Monetization — Broadcasters and infrastructure firms are shifting from traditional ad-supported models to “solution orchestrator” roles:

• B2B2X (Business-to-Business-to-X): Instead of charging consumers directly, network operators charge companies (like automotive OEMs or sports leagues) to deliver their data to end-users.
• Data Offloading Fees: Cellular carriers (MNOs) pay broadcast network operators to “offload” heavy streaming traffic from their mobile networks, saving the MNOs from expensive infrastructure overprovisioning.
• Network Slicing & NaaS: Offering “Network-as-a-Service” (NaaS), where enterprises subscribe to a dedicated, high-security “slice” of the broadcast spectrum for private communication or industrial IoT.
• Targeted & Programmatic Advertising: Using the hybrid nature of 5G (combining broadcast and unicast) to deliver personalized local ads and interactive shopping experiences (“Live Commerce”) on top of the main broadcast signal.
• Public Safety Contracts: Generating revenue through government-funded initiatives for critical communication infrastructure and first-responder networks.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

References:

https://www.castanet5g.com/

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1021285000173/1

https://www.lightreading.com/5g/castanet-tees-up-5g-broadcast-market-trials

3GPP 5G Broadcast: Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); User Equipment (UE) radio transmission and reception

New broadcast TV standard ATSC 3.0 “Next Gen TV” to cover 82% of U.S. households by end of 2022

5G Emerge: ESA & European Broadcast Union agreement for satellite enabled 5G media market

TV Broadcasts on 5G Networks: Telefónica and DVB Project

China Broadcasting Network tender for 480,400 5G macro base stations & multi-band antenna products

Qualcomm and China Broadcasting Network demo 5G data call in the 700MHz FDD spectrum

Will a new standard enable Mobile Video to take off in the U.S.?