Clear-Com brings FreeSpeak Cell 5G beltpacks to EMEA for IBC 2026
Clear-Com will showcase its FreeSpeak Cell wireless beltpacks and EHX v15 software at IBC 2026. The company is introducing these remote production communications solutions to the EMEA market after an initial North American release.
Key Takeaways
- FreeSpeak Cell supports 100 or more beltpacks using public and private LTE and 5G networks.
- EHX v15 software update introduces ARC technology to decouple intercom resources from physical hardware.
- Avalon IP Station provides a compact 1RU platform supporting FreeSpeak, HelixNet, and V-Series panels.
- Arcadia Central Station gains native IFB support and AES67-enabled user panel compatibility.
- Eclipse HX matrix system capacity expands to support 255 beltpacks and 424 roles via EHX v15.
Why It Matters
The expansion of FreeSpeak Cell into EMEA signals a shift toward hardware-agnostic, wide-area production workflows. By utilizing cellular infrastructure, Clear-Com addresses the increasing congestion in UHF and DECT bands that often plagues large-scale live events. For the streaming ecosystem, this transition to IP-based and 5G-enabled communications mirrors the broader industry move toward cloud-distributed production. It allows engineers to maintain mission-critical coordination across geographically dispersed sites without the traditional overhead of complex on-site RF coordination. Watch for the integration of FreeSpeak Cell with Gen-IC, Clear-Com's virtual intercom platform, which is expected to further bridge the gap between physical and cloud production tiers later this year.
Additional Context
The EMEA release of FreeSpeak Cell follows its initial debut at NAB 2026 in April, where it was positioned as a solution for environments where traditional spectrum coordination is no longer feasible. Per Inavate (April 2026), the system was designed to leverage carrier-grade infrastructure to provide full-duplex communications across expansive properties like sports campuses and distributed urban event sites. The hardware includes dual SIM capability, supporting both physical SIMs and eSIMs, which allows production teams to toggle between public carrier networks and private LTE setups like Band 48 (CBRS) in the United States. Recent software advancements have also fundamentally changed how these systems are managed. Per Clear-Com's technical documentation from April 2026, the EHX v15 update introduced the Access, Resource, and Configuration (ARC) model. This architecture moves the industry toward a software-defined future by allowing users to log in with secure, identity-based credentials rather than being tied to specific physical ports or hardware frames. This shift is intended to reduce the amount of physical cabling and equipment needed for large deployments by dynamically allocating system capacity based on real-time production demands. Broader industry trends at IBC 2026 highlight a growing focus on 5G quality of service (QoS) and network slicing for broadcast workflows. Per IBC (July 2026), standardized network APIs are increasingly being tested to turn cellular connectivity into a programmable production resource. Clear-Com’s move to bring 5G-native hardware to the EMEA market aligns with these efforts to transition connectivity from a 'best effort' public resource to a prioritized and predictable component of the professional broadcast technology stack.
Read full article at clearcom.com
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