LG Uplus Ensures Flawless Milan Winter Olympics Broadcast... How Is the Anyang Office Preparing?

Olympic Footage Travels 20,000 km
Quadruple Submarine Cable Routes Prevent Disruptions
Utilizing SRT Protocol and MNG Equipment

LG Uplus announced on the 4th that it is accelerating preparations for broadcasting the Winter Olympics to be held in Milan, Italy, in February next year. LG Uplus has been selected as the preferred bidder for the international broadcasting service of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.

LG Uplus announced on the 5th that it is accelerating preparations for broadcasting the Winter Olympics to be held in Milan, Italy, in February next year. The photo shows an LG Uplus employee demonstrating the 'Heatless Protection' technology at the Anyang Office Broadcasting Center. Photo by LG Uplus

LG Uplus is focusing on preparations for the Milan Winter Olympics broadcast relay at its Anyang office building, which has reliably handled real-time broadcasts of numerous international sports events. The Anyang office was also responsible for the exclusive domestic broadcasts of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Paris Olympics last year.

Video footage of the competitions filmed in Milan will travel approximately 20,000 kilometers from the International Broadcast Center (IBC) to the LG Uplus Anyang office via submarine cables connecting various countries. This journey, which covers half the globe, involves numerous variables such as submarine cable damage and power outages. Even a momentary disruption caused by these factors can result in critical quality issues for live broadcasts.

To prevent interruptions, LG Uplus plans to establish a three-stage system. First, it will quadruple the submarine cable routes connecting Milan to the Anyang office in Korea. Two lines will be secured along the route from Milan through the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and South China Sea to Korea, and two more lines will run through the Atlantic Ocean, the United States, and the Pacific Ocean. This redundancy allows for immediate switching to another line in the event of an issue, ensuring uninterrupted service.

Throughout this process, the company will apply 'Heatless Protection' technology across the entire route. If a failure is detected on one line, the system will automatically switch to another line to eliminate interruptions.

LG Uplus is also preparing for scenarios in which all four lines experience failures, ensuring that broadcasting can continue. The company plans to establish a system that transmits video using the SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) protocol over the local internet network in Milan. By utilizing the SRT protocol, content transmission remains relatively stable even if errors occur, thanks to built-in correction and retransmission capabilities.

Finally, LG Uplus is preparing a wireless transmission system using MNG (Mobile News Gathering) equipment over the local mobile network. MNG is a portable network device weighing 1 kilogram, capable of connecting to nearby base stations to urgently transmit necessary content.

LG Uplus will deploy 18 dedicated staff members at the Anyang office and 6 in Milan. The company also plans to establish a real-time collaboration system with overseas operators.

Jung Hajun, Executive Director of Wired Platform Operations at LG Uplus, emphasized, "We will provide the highest quality broadcast relay service so that the public does not miss even a moment of our national athletes' performances."