Lenz & Staehelin advises EBU on its agreement with ESA for 5G satellite media

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have signed an agreement which aims at developing solutions that leverage 5G systems in the context of media delivery technologies. The goal is to work together on developing solutions that impulse 5G systems and so-called ‘edgecasting’ to put Europe at the vanguard of media delivery technology. European citizens and industry alike will benefit from smarter and more efficient media delivery through the link-up of satellite communication systems with land-based 5G connectivity.

As put by the parties: “The deal is good news for television fans, gamers and future metaverse users, as it could lay the groundwork for better access to high-quality video, game and XR experiences live and uninterrupted from anywhere – at home and on the move.” This project will be led by EBU in collaboration with 20 companies from across Europe. The aim of the project, titled 5G-EMERGE, is to develop an integrated satellite and terrestrial system based on open standards to enable high-quality content distribution services. A consortium of 20 companies from Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland will collaborate on developing the distributed edge technology and service-delivery features along with other necessary enhancements that comply to international standards. The EBU will lead the project, which is funded by ESA.

Lenz & Staehelin has advised EBU in relation to both the agreement with ESA and the consortium agreement with the 20 companies. The team was led by partner Sevan Antreasyan (IP, technology and outsourcing, pictured) and included associate Eugenia Huguenin-Elie (IP, technology and outsourcing), among others.