Riedel Communications has put a private 5G network into live operation across the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) racing series, delivering uplink data rates of up to 140 Mbit/s from onboard cameras in all 21 race cars. The company describes the deployment as the first time private 5G has carried live production traffic for an international racing series.

The system, developed with Germany's DTM and broadcast service provider TV Skyline, uses Riedel's Easy5G private 5G platform as the primary transmission system for onboard camera signals. High-resolution video travels directly from the cars, and Riedel says the data rates remain robust even at top speed.

How big is the deployment?

Every one of the 21 DTM cars carries onboard cameras, with six cars fitted with additional action cameras. Coverage of the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Germany, produced on the same infrastructure, incorporates 24 different camera angles.

The network operates in a 100 MHz channel. Riedel claims efficient spectrum utilisation allows high network capacity at comparatively low bandwidth, keeping growing data volumes reliable. The topography-optimised radio design needs only four to seven antenna locations per circuit, depending on track characteristics — a figure the vendor presents as evidence of minimal infrastructure requirements compared with conventional wireless camera systems.

Riedel's DIVA+ infrastructure (Data, Intercom, Video, Audio) handles on-site production near the track. The architecture was designed from the outset to scale, the company says, to support additional camera angles, higher data volumes and future production requirements.

What do the partners say?

Lutz Rathmann, CEO managed technology at Riedel Communications, said: "With Easy5G, we're bringing private 5G into live operations for an international racing series for the first time — and this is just the beginning. This isn't just a one-off solution; it's a future-proof platform for professional live productions."

Wolfgang Reeh, CEO of TV Skyline, framed the deployment as a fix for a specific production bottleneck. "As the DTM's TV production partner and technical service provider, we are constantly working to innovate and further develop our product. We have identified a limitation in the area of onboard cameras, which we plan to resolve in the future using private 5G technology," Reeh said.

Claudia Wagner, managing director of DTM, pointed to the commercial stakes: "With our continued development of private 5G, we are laying the digital foundation for the next generation of DTM production: scalable, data-driven, flexible, and independent. With this technology and the ability to show spectacular onboard footage of all participants in every race, the DTM is setting a new standard. This gives us the foundation for new content formats and innovative fan experiences, thereby creating opportunities for sustainable new business models in motorsports."

Vendor claims versus live reality

All performance figures — the 140 Mbit/s uplink, the 100 MHz channel and the four-to-seven antenna footprint — come from Riedel and are not independently verified. The "world first" framing is also the vendor's own characterisation. What is concrete: the platform is carrying production traffic in a live international series, not a trial, and it has replaced the previous onboard-camera transmission chain as the primary system.

The deployment nonetheless marks a notable step for private 5G in broadcast. Motorsports production has historically relied on licensed microwave and dedicated wireless camera links, each with tight payload limits. A shared 5G uplink capable of sustaining 140 Mbit/s per car at racing speeds gives producers headroom to add camera angles and resolution without redesigning the RF plan each season — the scalability claim Riedel leans on.

For DTM, the technology also opens a route toward fully digitally connected cars on track, the company said, extending the network beyond video into telemetry and future data services.

Riedel says the platform will grow with additional camera angles, higher data volumes and future production requirements, and DTM's Wagner frames the network as the basis for new content formats and business models — with the three partners set to expand the system across coming race seasons.