Virgin Media Business claims to have supported a major step forward in broadcasting history last week as the BBC plugged into London Public Services Network (LondonPSN) to transmit coverage of Thursday's elections instead of using a satellite truck.
A partnership between Virgin Media Business and LondonPSN, an initiative coordinated for the local authorities by London Grid Ltd and powered by Virgin Media Business, has enabled the broadcaster to transmit footage over the internet rather than via satellite.
The technology was piloted on Election Day in West London. The BBC used Virgin Media Business fibre optic network and LondonPSN to transmit HD quality content at a speed of 100 megabits per second back to New Broadcasting House to be aired.
It's not uncommon for up to 100 satellite trucks to cover events from numerous locations on this scale. Following this successful trial, all broadcasters, including Sky and ITV, now have the potential to broadcast over IP which could reduce the number of vans broadcasters would have otherwise needed to deploy for these events.
Temporary connections can be configured in advance, making it the ideal solution for large-scale planned events such as sports tournaments, cultural occasions and political events. This in turn frees up satellite trucks to respond to breaking news and ad hoc reports.
Mario Di Mascio, executive sales director, Virgin Media Business, said: "Few things move as quickly as breaking news, but until now broadcasters have been limited by the number of satellite trucks available. This is the first exciting step towards a future where media can get connected wherever news is unfolding - bringing viewers as close to the action as possible.
"It is an honour to work with the UK's most influential broadcaster to make this technology a reality, and we are looking forward to exploring ways to build on this in other parts of the London and the UK more widely."