Four of the country’s largest station groups have formed a joint venture to deliver wireless data via ATSC 3.0 transmission for businesses and industries throughout the nation.
The E.W. Scripps Co., Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair have formed EdgeBeam Wireless to provide expansive, reliable and secure data delivery services. Leveraging the one-to-many nature of broadcasting and ATSC 3.0’s inherent internet protocol-based transport, the new venture is taking aim at industries that need to send data to multiple customers, often in real time, EdgeBeam Wireless said.
“The launch of EdgeBeam Wireless is the culmination of many years of technological advancement, market development and, importantly, recognition by government regulators of the expanded services local broadcasters can provide through ATSC 3.0 technology,” Scripps president and CEO Adam Symson said. “Scripps is pleased to join forces with its peer companies to create not just a new company but a marketplace that will allow us to more deeply serve our local communities while providing a wide variety of industries with efficient data-transmission services nationwide.”
Wireless data delivery via 3.0 offers data customers a notably cost-effective solution that complements and enhances current wireless solutions. EdgeBeam will be able to deliver data across the country to any civilian, military or industrial device with an ATSC 3.0 receiver, such as cars and trucks, drones, marine vessels, phones, tablets or television sets, it said.
“With adoption of ATSC 3.0 receivers in television sets continuing to increase with more models available and sets sold every year, Gray Media is eager to join EdgeBeam Wireless to expand the user base for our broadcast signals to a new category of businesses and to spur the wider deployment of receiver chips in an expanded range of handheld units and vehicles,” Gray Media Executive Chairman and CEO Hilton Howell said.
In automotive applications, EdgeBeam could deliver software updates, infotainment, precision navigation and safety enhancements. An internal estimate pegs the annual value of the addressable market for automotive connectivity services as $3.7 billion, EdgeBeam said.
Providing reliable wireless data transport in content delivery network applications, EdgeBeam can improve the experience of customers that stream content without buffering or lag, especially during high-profile live events with large audiences like sports events. The total addressable market for CDN services is estimated at up to $3.65 billion per year, it said.
In enhanced GPS applications, 3.0 can improve location information accuracy from meters today to a few centimeters. EdgeBeam estimates the addressable market for enhanced GPS services at $220 million per year, it said.
“Our long-held belief is that the transmission of high-speed data via our broadcast infrastructure represents a new way forward for the broadcast industry and a new stream of potentially significant revenue,” Nexstar Chairman and CEO Perry Sook said. “Nexstar is pleased that these four broadcast groups have come together to create this important new venture.”
By bringing together the spectrum footprints of Scripps, Gray, Nexstar and Sinclair, EdgeBeam achieves coverage no broadcaster could on its own, bringing the possibility of nationwide 3.0 coverage for data delivery within grasp, it said.
EdgeBeam anticipates partnering with other broadcasters for additional capacity to offer truly nationwide services. A national ATSC 3.0 footprint would enable broadcasters to provide a complementary backup to the existing GPS system, offering a reliable failover in the event GPS satellites experienced interference and helping to secure the U.S. economy, EdgeBeam said.
“This is a groundbreaking development for the broadcast industry,” said Sinclair president and CEO Chris Ripley. “We’re thrilled to partner with other leaders in our industry to chart a new path forward and develop new revenue opportunities. EdgeBeam Wireless will have benefits for the entire wireless ecosystem, helping to relieve congestion while also offering competitive pricing for wide-area data distribution.”
Financial details of the joint venture were not disclosed.
More information is available on the Scripps, Gray Media, Nexstar and Sinclair websites.
