How EdgeBeam Wireless Uses ATSC 3.0 for One to Many Data Delivery

Could the TV towers we drive past every day provide part of the answer to rising wireless traffic and last-mile network congestion?In this episode of IT Infrastructure as a Conversation, I speak with Conrad Clemson, CEO of EdgeBeam Wireless, about using existing ATSC 3.0 broadcast infrastructure as a one-to-many wireless data delivery layer.Most modern networks are designed around individual connections. That works well when every user requests different information, but it becomes inefficient when thousands or millions of devices need the same software update, live video stream, positioning correction, public safety message, or digital signage content.Conrad explains why broadcast infrastructure offers different economics. A cellular network may deliver an identical file separately to every endpoint. EdgeBeam Wireless can use TV broadcast capacity to transmit the shared payload once across a wide area.The distinction becomes clear in connected vehicles. Conrad says some automobile manufacturers have found that cellular communication charges across the life of a lower-cost vehicle could approach the cost of the vehicle itself. Software, maps, and AI models all need regular updates, creating demand for a delivery method that does not multiply the same payload across every car.We discuss how ATSC 3.0 added data capabilities to next-generation television infrastructure. Broadcast towers already have fiber connections, transmission equipment, spectrum, and regional coverage. EdgeBeam is adding the software, control, signaling, billing, and delivery components needed to use that infrastructure for internet data.Conrad also explains why EdgeBeam is beginning with business markets such as digital signage, public safety, and positioning services, where receivers can be deployed relatively quickly. Connected vehicles, fixed wireless access, consumer video, and autonomous systems represent larger opportunities that will require broader receiver availability.Digital signage provides another useful example. A one-gigabyte content update sent individually to 1,000 screens produces one terabyte of network traffic. Broadcast distribution can send the content once, allowing screens to store a local portfolio and select the most relevant material when needed.We also consider edge computing, live sporting events, AI infrastructure, and the pressure created when identical data crosses the wireless last mile through separate connections. EdgeBeam’s approach complements cellular networks by moving suitable shared traffic elsewhere and preserving cellular capacity for interactive and personalized services.Which workloads inside your network are still being delivered through thousands of duplicate connections, and could one-to-many distribution offer a better answer? Listen to the conversation and share your thoughts with me.