SK Telecom has achieved the world’s first live TV broadcasting using its 5G network and the innovative live broadcasting solution — in Korea.

SK Telecom aired Korea’s largest New Year’s event at Bosingak located in Jongro-gu, Seoul, for approximately eleven minutes, live on an entertainment channel, XtvN, at 00:00 KST on January 1, 2019.

The company utilized its 5G network, and T Live Caster, a live broadcasting solution for the live broadcast of the event, said Choi Nak-hoon, head of 5GX IoT/Data Group of SK Telecom.

T Live Caster enables live broadcasting of video taken by smartphones on various channels such as TV and personal broadcasting via 5G and LTE network. It is being used in the media industry to live stream diverse events and sports games and in the video surveillance area to enhance public safety and ensure rapid response.

SK Telecom’s 5G base stations and XtvN’s transmission system transmitted the video of the Bosingak event, which was taken by smartphone cameras installed with the T Live Caster app and connected to a 5G mobile routers to reach cable and IPTV viewers of XtvN.

SK Telecom plans to enhance the quality of T Live Caster to UHD and interconnect the solution to personal broadcasting platforms within this year.

SK Telecom will also use its 5G network to tap the drone broadcasting market. The company joined hands drone manufacturer DJI and developed drone video surveillance solution.