5G-MAG Media Action Group

What 5G-MAG Media Action Group does

5G-MAG — The Media Connectivity Association — is a Switzerland-domiciled, membership-based non-profit industry association operating since 2022 at the intersection of 5G/6G networks and media. Its stated function is not to write standards but to translate specifications from 3GPP, MPEG, DVB, IETF and CAMARA into working code, identifying specification gaps through real-world implementation and feeding corrections back to the standards bodies. It serves 40+ member organizations spanning public broadcasters (BBC, EBU, France Télévisions, Rai, RTVE), telecom and semiconductor vendors (Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, Huawei, Dolby, InterDigital), satellite operators (SES, Eutelsat, ESA), research institutes (Fraunhofer FOKUS, UPV) and tower/infrastructure players.

The association's core product is the "Media Connectivity Software Accelerator," an open-source reference tool portfolio of roughly fifteen repositories hosted on GitHub. These include 5G Media Streaming (5GMS, 3GPP TS 26.501/26.512), 5G Broadcast over LTE (rt-libflute, rt-mbms-examples, rt-mbms-mw-android, validated against ETSI TS 103 720), 5G Multicast Broadcast Services targeting Rel-17/18, UE Data Collection / DCAF (TS 26.531/26.532), XR and MPEG-I Scene Description, MPEG V3C volumetric video, Conversational Avatar Communication (MPEG ARF / IVAS), DVB-I over 5G, Multimedia Delivery Protocols, CAMARA Connectivity Quality APIs, and maintained forks of Open5GS and srsRAN for 5G Core and RAN integration. Two experimental testbeds — the AI/ML Evaluation Framework and the 6G Testbed (Network Emulator + AI Traffic Characterization) — extend the portfolio into 6G media research. All tools are released under the 5G-MAG Public License v1.0, a modified Apache 2.0 with FRAND patent terms designed to enable patent-holding members to contribute code.

5G-MAG is funded exclusively through recurring membership fees from its 40+ member organizations and does not sell commercial software. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: members and developers participate through working groups, DevEx sessions, plugfests (notably the inaugural 5G Broadcast PlugFest 2026 in Berlin), workshops (OSCAR, OSMART), the monthly open Dev Public Call, and major industry conferences (MWC, IBC, NTN Forum, Future Media Townhall). It serves primary customer segments of media/broadcast organizations and telecom equipment vendors/operators, plus secondary segments of standards bodies, academic researchers, and application developers.

Name

5G-MAG Media Action Group

Legal name

5G-MAG - The Media Connectivity Association

Website

https://5g-mag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

5G-MAG is a Switzerland-based, non-profit industry association that builds open-source reference tools translating 3GPP, MPEG, DVB, IETF and CAMARA standards into working code. It serves 40+ member organizations across broadcasting, telecom, satellite and research seeking standards-compliant 5G/6G media implementations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Media Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Connector/Adapter Frameworks & Integration Runtimes (HDAEACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Asset Creation, Pipeline, DCC Integration & Content Management Tools (MPAFAFAL)

Keywords

• 5G media streaming
• Open-source reference tools
• 5G broadcast software
• Standards reference implementations
• Media connectivity tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Grand-Saconnex, Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: 5G-MAG operates as an industry association funded by member organizations. Membership is open to any organization willing to join the efforts. Members receive priority support from the 5G-MAG Project Office, development resources, and influence over prioritization of the reference tool roadmap.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

5G-MAG is a non-profit industry association that builds open-source Reference Tools translating 3GPP, MPEG, DVB, IETF and CAMARA specifications into working code. Its portfolio covers 5G Media Streaming (5GMS), 5G Broadcast, 5G Multicast Broadcast Services (MBS), UE Data Collection, XR/MPEG-I Scene Description, MPEG V3C volumetric video, Avatar communication (MPEG ARF), DVB-I over 5G, and CAMARA network APIs. The tools are licensed under the 5G-MAG Public License v1.0 (modified Apache 2.0 with FRAND patent terms) and distributed via GitHub to member organizations and the broader developer community.

Product overview

5G-MAG (The Media Connectivity Association) operates a Software Accelerator providing open-source reference tools that translate standards specifications into working code. The portfolio includes: 5G Media Streaming (5GMS) for downlink media streaming; 5G Broadcast for LTE-based TV/radio and Emergency Alerts; 5G Multicast Broadcast Services (MBS) for 5G-native multicast (in Early Access); Immersive Media tools for XR/MPEG-I Scene Description, MPEG V3C Volumetric Video, and Avatar Communication with MPEG ARF; UE Data Collection/Reporting and Event Exposure for media metrics; DVB-I Services over 5G; CAMARA Network APIs for connectivity quality; and 3GPP RAN/Core Platforms (Open5GS, srsRAN forks). The 6G Testbed and AI/ML Evaluation Framework support research activities. All tools are governed by the 5G-MAG Public License v1.0 (Apache 2.0 based with FRAND patent terms) and hosted on GitHub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Software Accelerator: Open-source reference tools turning specs into working code for media connectivity implementations
• OSMART

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple 3GPP specification corrections (CRs) endorsed and published, including corrections to TS 26.512, TS 26.532, TS 26.517, TS 26.510, TS 26.346, TS 26.247, and TS 26.501 across Rel-16, Rel-17, and Rel-18
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability10 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

52 partnerships are on record, tiered expanded, founding, co-organizing, member, core and upstream.

• MPEGexpandedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Joined the OSMART workshop series in its second edition (2023), expanding the collaboration beyond the five founding organizations.
• SVTAexpandedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Joined the OSMART workshop series in its second edition (2023), expanding the collaboration beyond the five founding organizations.
• Consumer Technology Association WAVE ProjectfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Founding co-organizer of the OSMART workshop series, alongside DASH Industry Forum, DVB Project, 5G-MAG, and HbbTV Association. OSMART launched in May 2022 to exchange status updates and roadmaps on open-source media software.
• DASH Industry ForumfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Founding co-organizer of the OSMART workshop series. DASH-IF contributes to open-source media software interoperability and standards alignment.
• DVB ProjectfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Founding co-organizer of the OSMART workshop series. DVB Project contributes to the open-source media software ecosystem aligned with DVB specifications.
• HbbTV AssociationfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Founding co-organizer of the OSMART workshop series. HbbTV Association contributes to open-source media application reference tools.
• ESA - European Space Agencyco-organizingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 20215G-MAG and ESA jointly organized the workshop 'Reinventing Satellite Broadcasting for the 5G Era' on 1 December 2021, bringing together satellite and 5G media communities.
• 3Cat - Corporació Catalana de Mitjans AudiovisualsmemberOthersMember organization of 5G-MAG, participating in the association's standards translation and reference tool development for 5G media connectivity.
• AnixeNetmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• Astrum MobilememberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• AtemememberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• BBC - British Broadcasting CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC is a core member, active code contributor, and co-chair of the Development Working Group (WG DEV) that steers reference tools development. BBC staff lead implementation of 5GMS, MBS, and UE Data Collection reference tools, and contribute multiple Change Requests to 3GPP specifications.
• Belgian Tower CompanymemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• Big Blue Marble - ORFmemberOthersMember and code contributor to 5G-MAG reference tools.
• BNE - Broadcast Networks EuropememberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• Dolby LaboratoriesmemberTechnology or IntegrationMember and code contributor to 5G-MAG Reference Tools.
• EBU - European Broadcasting UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEBU is a core member and co-organizer of the OSMART workshop series alongside DASH Industry Forum, DVB Project, CTA WAVE, HbbTV Association, MPEG, and SVTA. EBU represents public service broadcasters within 5G-MAG.
• EI TowersmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• EricssonmemberTechnology or IntegrationMember and code contributor to 5G-MAG Reference Tools. Contributes to the open-source ecosystem and 3GPP standards work.
• ESA - European Space AgencymemberStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember and joint workshop organizer with 5G-MAG. Co-organized the December 2021 'Reinventing Satellite Broadcasting for the 5G Era' workshop. Contributes to non-terrestrial network (NTN) integration with 5G media delivery.
• Eutelsat GroupmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• France TélévisionsmemberOthersMember organization contributing to 5G-MAG's media standards and reference tools work.
• Fraunhofer FOKUScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore member, active code contributor, and host of the 5G Broadcast PlugFest 2026 in Berlin. Fraunhofer FOKUS staff contribute across 5GMS, 5G Broadcast, Data Collection, AI/ML Evaluation Framework, and maintain GitHub repositories. Chair of the WG DEV working group.
• HaivisionmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• HuaweimemberTechnology or IntegrationMember and code contributor to 5G-MAG Reference Tools.
• IEEE Broadcast Technology SocietymemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• InterDigitalmemberTechnology or IntegrationMember and active code contributor. Contributes to MPEG V3C Immersive Platform, Avatar Communication (MPEG ARF), and AI/ML Evaluation Framework projects.
• kronehitmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• MBI GroupmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• MCC - State Key Laboratory of Media Convergence and CommunicationmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• Media BroadcastmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• NokiamemberTechnology or IntegrationMember and code contributor to 5G-MAG Reference Tools.
• ONE Media TechnologiesmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• PhilipsmemberTechnology or IntegrationMember and code contributor. Contributes to MPEG V3C Immersive Platform and volumetric video reference tools.
• Phine.TechmemberTechnology or IntegrationMember and code contributor to 5G-MAG Reference Tools. Announced as a new member in 2026.
• QualcommcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore member, major code contributor, and key contributor to 3GPP specifications. Leads Avatar Communication project, AI/ML Evaluation Framework, and Network Emulator projects. Contributes across MBS, 5G Broadcast, 5GMS, and 5G Core Service Consumers.
• Rai - Radiotelevisione ItalianamemberOthersMember organization contributing to 5G-MAG's standards and reference tools work.
• RTI - Reti Televisive ItalianememberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• RTVE - Corporación de Radio y Televisión EspañolamemberOthersMember organization contributing to 5G-MAG's standards and reference tools work.
• SESmemberOthersMember organization. SES staff contributed to the 5G-MAG FLUTE library testing using SES's DVB-NIP Analyzer, demonstrating cross-vendor interoperability.
• Smart Mobile LabsmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• SwisscommemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• Swiss TXTmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• SWR - SüdwestrundfunkmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• Temix CommunicationsmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• TRedessmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• UPV - Universitat Politècnica de ValènciamemberTechnology or IntegrationMember and code contributor through its iTEAM research group. Contributes to MBS Transport Function (MBSTF) integration, 5G Broadcast implementations, and initial 5MBS core network function support.
• XGN - XGen NetworkmemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• Yotta MediamemberOthersMember organization participating in 5G-MAG activities.
• 3GPP SA4coreStrategic or Co-development Partner5G-MAG holds regular XCHANGE meetings with 3GPP working group SA4 (media codecs and delivery) to review specification issues raised by implementers. This structured feedback loop has resulted in multiple CRs to TS 26.512, TS 26.532, TS 26.517, and other 3GPP specifications across Rel-16, Rel-17, and Rel-18.
• Open5GSupstreamTechnology or Integration5G-MAG maintains a fork of Open5GS (AGPLv3.0) for the development and adaptation of 5GC network functions to support reference tools. The fork includes 5MBS-specific branches.
• srsRAN ProjectupstreamTechnology or Integration5G-MAG maintains a fork of srsRAN Project (AGPLv3.0) for the development and adaptation of NG-RAN procedures to support reference tools, including 5MBS branches.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Open5GS: Open-source 5G Core implementation that 5G-MAG maintains a fork of for MBS reference work. Comparable as an open-source 5G platform project and a direct technical dependency for 5G-MAG's MBS tools.

Direct peers

• SRT Alliance: Open-source initiative promoting the SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) protocol for low-latency video. Comparable as an open-source media transport alliance and a potential partner or peer in low-latency 5G media delivery.
• ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee): U.S.-based standards body defining broadcast television systems including ATSC 3.0. Comparable role in translating broadcast standards into working implementations and a peer for 5G Broadcast convergence work.
• CAMARA Project: Open-source project within Linux Foundation for telco network APIs. Direct peer in implementing standardized APIs that 5G-MAG also integrates via its CAMARA Connectivity Quality Management reference tools.
• HbbTV Association: Hybrid broadcast broadband TV standards body. Founding OSMART co-organizer with 5G-MAG and a direct peer in developing open-source reference tools for hybrid TV applications.
• Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia): Consortium developing royalty-free video codecs (AV1, AV2). Comparable as a coalition developing shared media technology standards and a relevant peer for codec-related media delivery over 5G.
• DVB Project: Industry consortium developing broadcast and broadband delivery standards. Co-organizer of the OSMART workshop series with 5G-MAG and overlapping scope on DVB-I over 5G, making it the closest peer in broadcast standards translation.
• DASH Industry Forum: Industry forum promoting MPEG-DASH adaptive streaming standards. Co-organizer of OSMART with 5G-MAG and a natural peer in translating media delivery specifications into interoperable implementations.
• CTA WAVE Project: Consumer Technology Association project focused on over-the-air and wireless media delivery. Founding OSMART co-organizer with 5G-MAG and a comparable standards-to-implementation bridge for consumer media.
• Streaming Video Technology Alliance (SVTA): Industry alliance addressing open standards and best practices for streaming video. Joined OSMART in its second edition alongside 5G-MAG, with overlapping focus on open media delivery infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/5G-MAG
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@5GMAG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5g-mag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about 5G-MAG Media Action Group