ONE Media 3.0 and Saankhya Labs Agree to 5G Broadcast/Broadband Cooperative 'Direct to Mobile' Network Development

New cooperative network will relieve mobile network congestion with dynamic offload of OTT and live content to "one-to-many" broadcast (OTA and DTT) networks 

BALTIMORE and BENGALURU, July 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ONE Media 3.0, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI), today announced an agreement with Saankhya Labs, a leader in the development of wireless systems and cognitive Software Defined Radio (SDR) solutions, to accelerate the development of a 5G Next Generation Broadcast Offload Platform.

Under the Agreement, Saankhya Labs is developing an end-to-end cooperative network platform including radio nodes and mobile end user devices. The platform will enable 4G and 5G wireless operators to offload Over-the-Top (OTT) and live content dynamically on to 'one-to-many' broadcast Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT) networks. This platform sits at the center of 5G convergence.

This creates many 'firsts' in DTT innovation:

• 'Cellularizing' broadcast architecture to enable indoor reception of DTT with mobile and portable devices
• Dramatically improving DTT spectrum utilization, providing more bits/higher robustness through spectrum reuse
• Introducing artificial intelligence (AI)-based analytic engines to provision and directly offload traffic from congested 4G/5G networks
• Providing content delivery networks (CDN) with significant improvement in the streaming experience by moving OTT traffic to the broadcast platform
• Enabling hyper-localization of broadcast content (video/audio services, datacasting, advertising, emergency alerts)

Demonstrations of the 5G-related components of this new cooperative network have been exhibited at CES2019, Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2019 and NAB Show 2019. The first phase of product and system development will establish real-world proof-of-concept (PoC) deployments in India and the United States. 

"Broadcasters have a critical seat at the 5G table. This work and product development will provide a 'level set' against expectations for broadcast services that are embraced by the 3GPP 5G standard," said Mark Aitken, President, ONE Media 3.0. "These first deployments will elevate understanding of the cooperative role NextGen (ATSC 3.0) broadcast can play to make 5G networks highly efficient Broadcast/Broadband convergent networks. The 'Direct to Mobile' focus of this activity will leverage the one-to-many efficiencies of broadcast in a new topology that can provide high-reliability and large bandwidth solutions and make them available to the competitive marketplace."

"Saankhya is excited to expand its partnership with ONE Media and Sinclair to build an end-to-end solution that transforms the delivery and consumption of both linear and non-linear video. Broadcast video networks are essentially 'constant quality' networks compared to the current 'best effort' unicast mobile networks, especially for video delivery. Our Direct-to-Mobile solution provides a new tool combining broadcast and OTT content over a new video distribution platform. We are convinced that OTT content players and mobile network operators will take full advantage of this unique video delivery solution," said Parag Naik, CEO of Saankhya Labs.

About ONE Media 3.0

ONE Media 3.0, headquartered in Hunt Valley, MD, USA, was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. with a vision to build and globally deploy the Next Generation Broadcast Platform, enabling broadcasters to be competitive across all platforms in delivering enhanced video and data services. For more information about ONE Media 3.0, see www.onemediallc.com.

About Sinclair Broadcast Group

Sinclair (Nasdaq: SBGI) is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the United States. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 191 television stations in 89 markets. Sinclair is a leading local news provider in the country and is dedicated to impactful journalism with a local focus. The Company has multiple national networks, live local sports production, as well as stations affiliated with all the major networks. Sinclair's content is delivered via multiple-platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.

About Saankhya Labs

Saankhya Labs is a wireless communication solutions and technology company that provides product based on its award winning, patented Software Defined Radio SDR platform. Saankhya offers a wide range of communication products for broadband, satellite and broadcast applications. With several International technology patents and unique 'chips-to-systems' expertise, Saankhya's solutions include industry's first IEEE 802.22 compliant TVWS systems for rural broadband connectivity, Satellite communications modems for IoT applications and multi-standard DTV modulators and demodulators. Saankhya Labs is working on creating cutting-edge technology in Next-Gen TV and communications solutions in 5G and beyond. Saankhya Labs is headquartered in Bengaluru, India.  www.saankhyalabs.com.