The 21st New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon (WJS Marathon) was held on 19 March 2023 in Taiwan. Together with Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) and TVBS, a Taiwanese television and multimedia company, Ericsson played an important role in the live broadcast of the race. For the first time in Taiwan, 5G network slicing was used to ensure a great viewing experience of the competition through smooth transmission of live streaming data.

The WJS Marathon was the first and only marathon competition in Taiwan that is certified with the “Gold Label” by World Athletics. More than 11,000 runners and 300 competitors from 33 countries competed in the marathon this year. Given the large-scale participation, with the wide wild space of marathon and continuous and long-distance movement of runners, guaranteeing high-quality streaming and network quality has been a challenge in the past.  

However, catering to the needs of broadcasting the competition along the route, FET and Ericsson worked together to deliver a seamless 5G experience by leveraging 5G end-to-end network slicing. With the ability to isolate traffic through a slice that is configured to meet broadcasters’ specific needs in throughput, latency and security, Ericsson’s network slicing technology allowed FET to provide quick and flexible allocation of its bandwidth to the event location.

In addition, FET improved network capacity by optimising the existing base stations and adding Cell On Wheels (COW) on site to ensure every part of the competition was fully captured. Cell On Wheels are mobile cells that can be added in strategic locations (i.e. remote places where cellular connectivity is not usually as needed) to ensure a good end-user mobile experience.

Sibel Bahadir, Vice President and Head of the FET account of Ericsson Taiwan, says: “We are proud to be a pioneer in creating another use case in network slicing in collaboration with FET. The live broadcast enabled by network slicing offered superior viewing experience no matter where you are. I believe this would open an array of opportunities for many more applications requiring superb mobile experiences and a customised network setup.”  

Rob Wu, Head of Cloud Software and Services of Ericsson Taiwan, says: “There is significant commercial value for network slicing when addressing the growing demand of video streams cast by entertainment and media industry. And only 5G standalone architecture can fully unleash the potential of network slicing. With this early use case, we look forward to tapping into more business opportunities in network slicing with our customers, as well as driving digitalisation for both public and private sectors.” 

Earlier this year, Ericsson and FET deployed the Smart Patrol Car solution, the world’s first network slicing use case in a live 5G standalone network for the police department.