In August 2025, France Télévisions partnered with Haivision and key technology collaborators to conduct a groundbreaking proof of concept (POC) during the Bretagne Classic, one of cycling’s most prestigious WorldTour races.
The goal: to explore how private 5G connectivity could enable more agile, sustainable, and cost-efficient live production workflows.
This large-scale field test brought together Haivision’s live video contribution technology, Neutral Wireless’ private 5G network, and Eutelsat’s LEO satellite connectivity into one unified workflow. The test was part of the 2025 IBC Accelerator Programme project called “Conquering the Air (Waves): Private 5G from Land to Sea to Sky.”
The initiative explores how private 5G can support greener live production methods. By reducing reliance on traditional RF systems, private 5G has the potential to lower CO₂ emissions, supporting more sustainable live production practices. In addition to greener production workflows, these trials have also demonstrated how broadcasters can enhance safety and coordination for both broadcast teams and athletes.
The project has focused on developing and testing new mobile and aerial network architectures and innovative backhaul solutions to support high-quality, low latency video and audio streaming, including the development of a drone-based 5G network. Several proof-of-concept trials across Europe this summer, as part of “Conquering the Air (Waves): Private 5G from Land to Sea to Sky”, have demonstrated how private 5G can support more immersive, flexible, and reliable coverage of live events. The findings from this project will inform future implementations of aerial 5G connectivity, paving the way for more flexible, scalable, and immersive media production solutions.
“At France Télévisions, we place our audiences at the heart of our innovations. By exploring solutions such as private 5G and LEO satellites, we are making our productions more agile and responsible, in order to offer ever richer and more accessible coverage of the events that matter to them,” said Skander Ben Attia, CTO at France Télévisions.
Overcoming the Challenges of Live Cycling Coverage
Delivering this POC required solving a series of technical and regulatory challenges. The project team had to:
- Identify and secure an aircraft with a licensed pilot and modify the airframe to house private 5G hardware.
- Develop and test prototype radio, video, and transcoding equipment.
- Negotiate spectrum licensing with ARCEP and the Ministry of Armed Forces.
- Design wireless backhaul routes that could operate while the aircraft was in flight.
- Weather conditions and strict aviation safety regulations added further complexity, highlighting the difficulty of executing such a cutting-edge trial under real event conditions.
A Hybrid Workflow for Live Production
During the Bretagne Classic, the trial brought together multiple layers of connectivity, including ground, air, and satellite, into a unified live production workflow.
The live production included several motorbike cameras filming the race using traditional RF systems connected to helicopters and a plane. For the POC, one motorbike was equipped with a Haivision Falkon X2 mobile video transmitter and antenna, sending live video to an ultralight aircraft that hosted both the private 5G cell and core network provided by Neutral Wireless.
Onboard the aircraft, a Haivision StreamHub Go was installed to receive the video feeds from the motorbike via the private 5G uplink. The StreamHub Go then used bonded public 4G/5G networks for the downlink, transmitting the streams back to the ground. This required a custom bonding configuration that connected multiple 5G modems to the StreamHub and integrated dedicated antennas into the aircraft’s airframe.
Once received on the ground, the feeds were relayed to a cloud-based Haivision StreamHub, where the video was decoded and made available for remote monitoring and production. The Eutelsat mobile vehicle played a key role in establishing the backhaul, enabling reliable communication between the ultralight and the ground team using both private 5G and satellite connectivity.
The workflow also integrated Haivision Hub 360 for real-time monitoring and secure stream management in the cloud, while Shure microphones captured broadcast-quality audio. Together, this hybrid setup spanning private 5G, public cellular, and satellite links demonstrated a groundbreaking approach to live production that is both flexible and sustainable.
Powering Live Contribution with Haivision
Haivision technology was essential to the Bretagne Classic POC, enabling a reliable end-to-end contribution path for France Télévisions. The Falkon X2 transmitter delivered high-quality, ultra-low latency video from the motorbike over the Neutral Wireless private 5G link on the ultralight aircraft. Onboard, StreamHub Go received and processed the feed before sending it to the ground, where StreamHub and Hub 360 handled decoding, monitoring, and cloud-based distribution.
By supporting contribution over private 5G, bonded cellular, and cloud workflows, Haivision demonstrated how its solutions help broadcasters increase agility, efficiency, and sustainability in live production while advancing the next generation of real-time workflows.
Redefining the Future of Live Production
The Bretagne Classic IBC Accelerator trial proved that integrating private 5G with satellite and bonded cellular technologies can reshape live event broadcasting. France Télévisions and Haivision showed that high-quality coverage can be delivered over lightweight, low-power networks while significantly reducing environmental impact.
This milestone marks a major step toward more accessible, flexible, and sustainable live production, showcasing how innovation in connectivity is redefining the future of broadcast.
