Saturday's FA Cup final was the "first live U.K. broadcast of a football match over new 4G network technology," according to Daniel Thomas of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Mobile group EE "teamed up with the BBC to show the game at Wembley between Aston Villa and Arsenal."
The 4G-powered mobile broadcasting "put viewers in control of multiple camera angles and replays not available on more linear broadcast" TV channels -- as well as providing live high-definition coverage.
EE said the program, which was available "to only a limited number of selected customers for the trial, will become the future of television broadcasting on the move."
Live TV events such as football cup finals "drive the highest peaks of usage on mobile networks." For example, a goal by the Australian midfielder Tim Cahill during last year’s World Cup finals "was the single highest point of data consumption over a five-minute period on EE’s network."
The technology behind the 4G system "makes it easier for people to watch TV without interference or interruption." Video over normal 4G networks "can experience delays, pixilation and buffering due to the amount of data flowing over the cellular tower to each mobile device, which can cause congestion" (FT, 5/29).
