Haivision & Riedel's 5G Pact: Remaking Live TV Beyond the OB Van

MONTREAL, QC – September 02, 2026 – In the world of corporate announcements, partnerships are a dime a dozen. But every so often, a collaboration emerges that signals not just a new product, but a fundamental shift in an entire industry. The joint press release from Haivision and Riedel Communications today feels like one of those moments. The two broadcast technology stalwarts announced they will be demonstrating a tightly integrated, ultra-low latency video workflow over a private 5G network at the upcoming IBC2026 conference in Amsterdam.

Behind the technical jargon of "end-to-end wireless video ecosystems" and "sub-100 millisecond latency" lies a powerful story about the future of live television. For decades, live event broadcasting has been a logistical behemoth, dependent on miles of cables, massive on-site production trucks (OB vans), and fickle radio frequency (RF) systems. This announcement represents a calculated bet that this paradigm is on the verge of obsolescence, replaced by the wireless flexibility and ironclad reliability of dedicated 5G networks. It’s a move that could untether cameras, empower creators, and drastically reshape the economics of live production.

The New Wireless Frontier: What is Private 5G Broadcasting?

For most of us, 5G is the next step up for our smartphones, promising faster downloads and smoother streaming. But in the broadcast world, its true transformative power lies not in the public networks we all share, but in private ones. Imagine a major sporting event: tens of thousands of fans are simultaneously using their phones, creating a digital traffic jam that can cripple public cellular networks. For a broadcaster relying on that same network to transmit the winning goal, the risk of a dropped signal is catastrophic.

This is the problem that private 5G solves. By deploying a dedicated, localized network—like Riedel's Easy5G system—broadcasters get their own private highway for data. This guarantees three things that are non-negotiable for live television:

1. Dedicated Bandwidth: The network's capacity is reserved exclusively for production, immune to public congestion.
2. Guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS): Video traffic is prioritized, ensuring a stable, high-quality stream without dropped frames or glitches.
3. Ultra-Low Latency: The signal travels from camera to production hub in under 100 milliseconds. This is critical for seamless multi-camera switching, remote camera control, and real-time interviews where lag would be unacceptable.

Compared to traditional wireless RF systems, which can be limited in range and prone to interference, private 5G offers wider, more robust coverage. And while bonded cellular technology—which cleverly combines multiple public network connections—has been a game-changer for mobile journalism, it still operates on a "best-effort" basis. A private 5G network changes the game from hoping for the best connection to owning a guaranteed one.

A Strategic Alliance Forged in the Field

This IBC demonstration is not the beginning of the story for Haivision and Riedel, but rather a public culmination of a deepening strategic relationship. Haivision, a Canadian firm known for its Emmy-winning low-latency video streaming technology and its foundational work on the SRT protocol, significantly bolstered its mobile capabilities with the 2022 acquisition of Aviwest. Riedel Communications, a German engineering giant, is a dominant force in live event communications and has built a formidable Managed Technology division that services some of the world's biggest events.

Their collaboration is not just theoretical. In November 2025, the German public broadcaster WDR used the integrated Haivision-Riedel solution to cover the massive Cologne Carnival. The trial was a resounding success, proving the system’s ability to deliver high-quality, low-latency video from untethered cameras moving through dense crowds—a notoriously difficult environment for wireless transmission.

This real-world validation is key. It shows that the partnership is built on a foundation of proven results, not just marketing promises. "Our partnership with Haivision continues to demonstrate the transformative potential of private 5G for the media and entertainment industry," said Jacky Voß, Executive Director Strategy & Innovation, Riedel Communications. For Haivision, the sentiment is mutual. "Together, we’re delivering a seamless, end-to-end workflow that sets a new standard for what broadcasters can expect from mobile contribution,” noted Peter Maag, the company's Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President. The synergy is clear: Haivision brings the best-in-class video capture and transmission tools, while Riedel provides the robust network infrastructure and operational expertise to make it all work seamlessly on-site.

Remaking the Broadcast Workflow: From OB Vans to Remote Hubs

The true impact of this technology is how it will reshape the entire production workflow. The solution being showcased combines Haivision’s portable 5G transmitters, like the Falkon, and its MoJoPro mobile app with the central StreamHub receiver. This hub can then seamlessly route the video feeds into any modern broadcast environment, whether it's traditional SDI or newer IP-based standards like NDI and ST 2110.

This unlocks the full potential of Remote Integration Model (REMI) production. Instead of sending a massive OB van and a full crew to every event, broadcasters can deploy a lean on-site team with cameras and transmitters, while the main production—the director, graphics operators, and replay specialists—works from a centralized studio hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

The economic implications are staggering. According to some industry analyses, such as a report from the GSMA, remote production enabled by 5G could slash on-site production costs by as much as 90% by reducing travel, logistics, and equipment shipping. For an industry facing constant pressure to do more with less, these are compelling numbers. Beyond cost savings, it unleashes creative freedom. Camera operators are no longer tethered by cables, free to capture dynamic, immersive shots from anywhere within the private 5G coverage area—on the field, in the stands, or on a moving vehicle.

The Path to Adoption: Hurdles and the Competitive Landscape

Of course, a revolution doesn't happen overnight. The primary barriers to adoption are the cost and complexity of deploying a private 5G network. This requires significant capital investment and specialized technical expertise that many broadcasters may not have in-house. This is precisely where Riedel's business model shows its strategic brilliance. By offering Easy5G not only as a product to buy but also as a fully managed service, it effectively lowers the barrier to entry. Broadcasters can essentially rent the network and the expertise for a specific event or season, turning a large capital expenditure into a more manageable operating expense.

The market for mobile video contribution is not without its titans. Companies like LiveU and TVU Networks have built strong businesses on bonded cellular technology over public networks. However, the Haivision-Riedel alliance is making a strategic differentiation by focusing on the guaranteed performance of a private network. While bonded public 5G is excellent for many news-gathering scenarios, for premium, tier-one live sports and entertainment where failure is not an option, the reliability of a private network offers a distinct and powerful advantage.

As visitors flock to the Haivision and Riedel stands at IBC2026, they will be looking for more than just a slick demonstration. They will be assessing whether this integrated solution is robust, scalable, and financially viable enough to justify moving away from workflows that have defined live production for a generation. The success of the Cologne Carnival trial suggests it is, signaling that the future of broadcasting may be far more wireless, flexible, and efficient than ever before.