Castanet tees up 5G Broadcast market trials

Castanet, a new company aiming to build a national 5G Broadcast network using low-power TV stations, plans to run market tests in at least three US cities this year. The tests will use existing low-power TV infrastructure to deliver data and video over 5G Broadcast, a one-to-many transmission standard designed to send the same content to many devices at once.

The trials are meant to show whether low-power TV spectrum can support commercial 5G Broadcast services at scale, including uses such as software updates, video delivery, and other high-bandwidth data. If the tests succeed, Castanet expects to use the results to attract partners and investment for a wider rollout.