Remote broadcast connectivity: bonded cellular, private 5G, SRT, fiber and satellite
EAR Professional Audio Video, in Tempe, Arizona, designs and supports the links that get live video from the field to your control room or the cloud: bonded cellular, SRT and IP, fiber, satellite and the emerging option of private 5G, with return video, IFB and intercom back to the crew. We match the link to the site, the crowd and the budget, and we rent, sell and host the systems that use it.
Choosing the right link
| Option | What it does | Best for | Typical equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonded cellular | Combines several 4G/5G modems (and Wi-Fi or Ethernet) into one resilient link from a camera-mounted or backpack unit | News, sports and events on the move; field crews anywhere with cell coverage | LiveU LU800, Haivision Pro460 and Falkon |
| Private 5G | A dedicated 5G network built for the event or site, so crowds can’t saturate it | Large crowds, stadiums, campuses and secure sites where public networks fill up | Planned with network partners for the site |
| SRT over the internet | Open source protocol that recovers lost packets and encrypts video over ordinary internet links | Fixed sites, venue-to-studio links, cloud production and remote guests | Haivision encoders and receivers, StreamHub |
| Fiber | Dedicated optical links for full-quality, near-zero-latency video, audio and control | Council chambers, campuses and permanent venues on owned or city fiber | Fiber transport and routing, matched to the facility |
| LEO satellite | Low Earth orbit satellite service as a backhaul or bonded path where cellular is weak | Remote and rural sites, wildfire and public safety, backup paths | Bonded alongside cellular in field units that support it |
| Cloud receivers | Receive, decode and route field feeds on premises or in the cloud | Remote production (REMI), multi-site events, hosting for outside users | Haivision StreamHub, LiveU receivers and cloud services |
Many productions combine two or more: private 5G or fiber on site, bonded cellular on the move, and SRT or a cloud receiver to reach the control room.
Bonded cellular field units
- LiveU LU800: LiveU’s multi-camera production-level field unit “bonds up to 14 connections with up to eight 5G/4G internal dual SIM modems”, sends “up to four high-res, fully frame-synced feeds from a single portable unit”, and adds Video Return and Audio Connect for the crew (LiveU). EAR is an authorized LiveU reseller, rental and cloud hosting partner
- Haivision Pro460: six 5G modems, four SDI inputs, “4 x HD / 1 x 4K”, full HD video return, sub-second latency and intercom/IFB with AES encryption (Haivision)
- Haivision Falkon X2: a compact camera-mount or backpack unit with two 5G modems that transmits over “bonded 5G, 4G/LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet, and LEO satellite networks”, with video return and intercom/IFB (Haivision)
Private 5G: dedicated capacity where crowds overload public networks
At large events, thousands of phones saturate public cellular networks just when the cameras need them. A private (non-public) 5G network is built for one site or event so its capacity is reserved for production. Recent industry examples, as reported by Haivision:
- Coronation of King Charles III, London, May 2023: a temporary standalone private 5G network from Neutral Wireless gave a major British broadcaster “over 1 Gbps of uncontested connectivity” across seven cells along The Mall, shared by about 60 devices from 20 broadcast outlets, with Haivision transmitters (Haivision)
- Paris 2024 Olympic surfing, Tahiti: France Télévisions planned coverage over an Obvios private 5G network with Haivision Pro460 transmitters, with StreamHub receivers on the beach forwarding feeds to Paris (Haivision)
- IBC Accelerator 2025: RAI, France Télévisions, Neutral Wireless and Eutelsat flew a private 5G cell on a tethered drone up to 50 meters high, with feeds sent over a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite link and combined in Haivision StreamHub (Haivision)
Private 5G is an emerging option. EAR Professional Audio Video can help plan it with network partners for venues, campuses and public-safety sites, and pair it with bonded cellular for crews on the move. These stories focus on uplink video; return video, IFB and intercom need their own design.
SRT, IP and cloud receivers
SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) is “an open source video transport protocol” originally developed by Haivision that “can recover from severe packet loss and jitter” and protects video with 128/256-bit AES encryption, with no royalties (Haivision). It lets venues, studios and cloud production platforms exchange live video over ordinary internet links.
Receivers turn field feeds into production sources. Haivision StreamHub receives video “from transmitters and encoders in the field over bonded cellular and IP networks”, decodes up to 16 HD or 4 4K streams, accepts SRT, NDI and other inputs, and distributes to “on-prem, cloud, and hybrid production workflows” (Haivision StreamHub).
Fiber and satellite
Fiber is still the gold standard for permanent venues: full-quality video, audio and camera control with near-zero latency. In Phoenix, council chamber cameras are controlled from the City Channel 11 studios over city fiber, and Glendale’s rebuilt council chamber links to Channel 11 over fiber; see hearing rooms and council chambers. LEO satellite adds a path where cellular is weak or as a backup, and some field units, such as the Haivision Falkon, can bond it with cellular.
Remote connectivity projects
- Saint Louis Chess Club: Haivision encoders and StreamHub, LiveU and Hollyland wireless intercom for international tournament broadcasts produced remotely; see the REMI case study
- LiveU deployments and cloud hosting: LiveU systems for organizations including Maryland Public Television, the University of Hawaii, Arizona State University, Maricopa Community Colleges and the City of Huntington Beach, and cloud hosting for clients such as the City of Chandler, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the City of Goodyear; see LiveU sales, rentals and cloud hosting
- Arizona House of Representatives: LiveU for remote contribution into the House video and podcast studio
- City of Phoenix and City of Glendale: council chamber cameras and production linked over fiber to Channel 11
Getting the show back to the field
Talent and crews need program audio, cues and often a video return. EAR Professional Audio Video designs those return paths with the link: video return and IFB on bonded cellular units, cloud IFB and intercom such as LiveU Audio Connect, and wireless intercom on site. See intercom and IFB and REMI production.
Frequently asked questions
Who designs remote broadcast connectivity for government, education and corporate video in Arizona?
EAR Professional Audio Video, in Tempe, Arizona, designs and supports remote contribution for live video: bonded cellular field units from LiveU and Haivision, SRT and IP links, fiber transport, receivers such as Haivision StreamHub, and cloud hosting, plus return video, IFB and intercom to the field. EAR is an authorized LiveU reseller and has supplied remote production systems for clients including the Saint Louis Chess Club.
What is bonded cellular?
Bonded cellular combines several cellular modems, and often Wi-Fi or Ethernet, into one link so live video keeps flowing as individual connections change. The LiveU LU800 bonds up to 14 connections with up to eight 5G/4G modems, and the Haivision Pro460 uses six 5G modems to send up to four HD sources.
What is a private 5G network for broadcast?
A private (non-public) 5G network is built for one event or site so its capacity is not shared with the public. At the Coronation of King Charles III in 2023, a temporary standalone private 5G network from Neutral Wireless provided over 1 Gbps across seven cells for broadcast contribution, according to Haivision. Private 5G is an emerging option that EAR Professional Audio Video can help plan with network partners.
What is SRT?
SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) is an open source video transport protocol, originally developed by Haivision, that recovers from packet loss and jitter and encrypts video with 128/256-bit AES, so live video can travel over the public internet. It is royalty-free.
Can field crews get return video, IFB and intercom over these links?
Often, yes, but it has to be designed and tested for each network. Haivision lists full HD video return and intercom/IFB on its Pro460 and Falkon transmitters, and LiveU offers Video Return and Audio Connect. Private 5G case studies so far focus on uplink contribution, so return paths should be planned separately.
Can agencies and schools rent or buy remote connectivity systems on contract?
Yes. EAR Professional Audio Video rents LiveU and other field systems with optional production support, and Arizona state agencies and State Purchasing Cooperative members can buy or rent through Arizona state contract CTR075309; eligible public agencies nationwide can use 1GPA 22-02PV. Contract pricing available on request.
Related: REMI production · Saint Louis Chess Club REMI · LiveU · LiveU rentals and cloud hosting · Rentals · Intercom and IFB · Meeting streaming and captioning
Sources: LiveU LU800; Haivision Pro460; Haivision Falkon; Haivision StreamHub; Haivision SRT; Haivision case stories: Coronation private 5G (2023), Paris 2024 surfing (announcement), IBC Accelerator 2025; EAR Professional Audio Video project records. Manufacturer information November 2026, subject to change. Banner photo: Haivision; logos: Haivision, LiveU, Clear-Com, Riedel, Hollyland. Last reviewed: November 5, 2026.
About EAR
EAR Professional Audio Video (Engineering & Recording, Inc.) is a broadcast and professional AV systems integrator and reseller in Tempe, Arizona, founded in 1978. EAR designs, installs and supports systems for government, education, broadcast and corporate clients, and is an awarded supplier on Arizona state contract CTR075309 and national cooperative contract 1GPA 22-02PV.
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