Ericsson, Polkomtel Test LTE Broadcast in Poland

Ericsson and Polish telecom operator Polkomtel successfully carried out the first test of LTE Broadcast technology in Poland on August 30, streaming the opening game of the 2014 World Volleyball Championship between Poland and Serbia to 300 selected guests and journalists at Warsaw’s National Stadium.

The test group was provided with 300 LTE Broadcast-enabled mobile devices with a pre-configured application to watch live streaming of the game. The whole event lasted for about four hours and the trial was well received by the test group, with a high-quality video and viewing experience.

With video traffic expected to grow by about 60 percent annually until the end of 2018, operators are under increasing pressure to enable their subscribers to enjoy a high-quality video experience anytime, anywhere, while still managing network efficiency and costs.

Ericsson’s LTE Broadcast solution enables new revenue models for premium content and efficiently utilizes LTE spectrum and network resources. Unique content can be delivered simultaneously to a virtually unlimited number of subscribers; for example, multiple video feeds showing different angles, close-ups or replays during live events. This improves consumer experience and increases subscriber loyalty thanks to fast access to content and guaranteed video quality without any buffering.

Tobias Solorz, President of the Management Board of Polkomtel Sp. z o.o., says: “Our previous experience of working together with Ericsson and the relationship we have built up over the years has been key to the success of this test. We are very pleased with the outcome and look forward to a thorough evaluation of the results. This successful test opens up the possibility of providing high-quality streams of sporting events and other programming to our subscribers, and we hope to offer this kind of service all over Poland in due course.”

Valter D’Avino, Head of Ericsson’s Region Western and Central Europe, says: “Ericsson has been at the forefront of developing and implementing this technology around the world, and it has great potential to grow much further with a wide range of use cases: for example, to send updates and content to connected cars, digital signage or billing boards, as well as public safety and emergency broadcast services.”

Polkomtel, who provides its services under the Plus brand, is one of the biggest telecommunication operators in Poland. The company serves over 13.5 million subscribers.

At present Polkomtel focuses mainly on promoting the use of mobile internet, including access based on LTE technology. Since the beginning of its operations Polkomtel has pioneered implementation of state-of-the-art technical as well as telecommunication and data communication solutions on the Polish market. Thanks to such technologies as HSPA/HSPA+, CDMA, or the older generation 2G and 3G technologies, internet access can be enjoyed by over 99 percent of Poland’s population; not only in cities but also in less developed rural areas. LTE is already available to 66.7percent of the country’s population.