Case Study: 800GB Live Streaming at Sport Austria Finals 2025 – 3x 5G Bonding in Real-World Testing

The Challenge: Multi-Platform Livestreaming Without Fixed Connection

The Sport Austria Finals 2025 – a three-day sports event with live broadcasting to Vimeo and sportpassaustria.at. groox Film Production had the task of streaming high-resolution video material in real-time to multiple platforms. The problem: No reliable fixed-line connection was available at the venue, and the upload requirements were massive.

Specific Requirements

• Simultaneous streaming to Vimeo + sportpassaustria.at (parallel upload streams)
• At least 300 Mbps upload for HD quality on both platforms
• Zero-tolerance for outages (livestream must not be interrupted)
• 3-day event duration without technical problems
• Quick setup (no weeks waiting for fixed-line installation)

Why a Single Mobile Connection Isn't Enough

A single 5G connection theoretically offers high bandwidth – but in practice there are several problems:

• Fluctuating performance depending on network load (especially at events with many visitors)
• Single point of failure: If the connection drops, everything stops
• Not enough upload bandwidth for parallel HD streams (typical: 50-150 Mbps)
• No failover for provider problems or maintenance work

The Solution: 5G Internet Bonding with 3 Network Operators

Werner.Solutions deployed an Internet Bonding setup for groox with three separate 5G connections from different providers:

Why 3 Different Network Operators?

Using three different mobile networks was not a coincidence, but a strategic decision:

• Redundancy at provider level: If one network fails (e.g., maintenance), the other two continue running
• Bandwidth diversification: Each network contributes to overall performance
• Different network architectures = less risk of simultaneous outages
• Independence: No dependency on a single provider

How Does Bandwidth Aggregation Work?

With true Internet Bonding, upload streams are transmitted in parallel across all three lines. The bonding server in Vienna reassembles the packets and forwards them to the streaming platforms (Vimeo, sportpassaustria.at). The result: Combined bandwidth instead of limitation by the weakest line.

The Results: 800GB Without a Single Outage

What These Numbers Mean

320 Mbps upload continuously: Simultaneous streaming in Full HD to multiple platforms without buffering or quality drops. Sufficient reserve for peak loads (e.g., finals with higher bitrate).

600 Mbps download: Fast access to cloud storage for additional material, remote production monitoring, communication with production team via VoIP and video conference.

800 gigabytes in 3 days: Proof of setup stability and reliability. No connection drop despite massive traffic volume.

Outages Were Not Noticeable

During the event, there was no noticeable outage. This means: Even if individual lines temporarily weakened, bonding compensated automatically. The production team could focus fully on content, not on technology. Viewers experienced an uninterrupted stream.

Why Did the Setup Work So Well?

1. True Bonding Instead of Load Balancing

Load balancing wouldn't have worked here because multiple streams would only be distributed across different lines – but a single stream cannot get faster. With high upload requirements per stream, a bottleneck emerges.

Internet Bonding, however, bundles all three 5G connections into one logical line. A single stream uses the combined bandwidth of all lines: 100 + 100 + 120 Mbps = 320 Mbps for one upload stream.

2. Provider Diversification

By using three different mobile networks (A1, Magenta, Drei), the setup became independent of a single provider. Different network coverage and load led to more stable overall performance. Even with temporary overload of one network (e.g., from event visitors), the setup remained stable.

3. Monitoring & Proactive Surveillance

Werner.Solutions monitored the setup throughout the entire event with real-time bandwidth monitoring, latency measurement per line, and automatic alerts for performance drops. Proactive response to potential problems occurred before they became critical.

Cost-Benefit Comparison

ROI: Setup costs of EUR 1,100 amortized after 1 hour of event – the costs of a livestream outage would be priceless (image damage, lost viewers).

Lessons Learned & Best Practices

1. Provider Diversification Is Critical

Don't use all 5G lines from the same provider. This minimizes the risk of provider-wide outages, uses different network architectures, and creates better negotiating position for service problems.

2. Monitoring Determines Success

Blindly hoping that everything runs is not a strategy. Real-time monitoring of all lines, automatic alerts for performance degradation, and a personal contact person during critical events are essential.

3. Bonding Is More Than Failover

Internet Bonding is not just backup, but a performance multiplier. Primary goal is high bandwidth through aggregation, secondary benefit is seamless failover during outages, and tertiary benefit is lower latency through multi-path routing.

Is Internet Bonding Right for Your Event?

Internet Bonding is particularly suitable for the following scenarios:

• Events & Livestreaming: Trade fairs, conferences, sports events without fixed connections
• Temporary Locations: Pop-up stores, construction sites with quick setup needs
• Critical Business Applications: Remote productions (film, TV), medical teleconferences
• Backup for Fixed Connections: Hybrid setup with fiber + bonding as failover

Technical Details of the Setup

On-site Hardware

• 3x 5G Router (e.g., MikroTik Chateau 5G)
• 1x Bonding Gateway (appliance or dedicated mini PC)
• Power supply: 220V or UPS (recommended)
• Optional: External 5G antennas for weak signal

Setup Time

• Day 1: Hardware delivery & setup (2-4 hours)
• Day 2: Testing & performance tuning (1-2 hours)
• Day 3: Event start – everything ready

Total effort: 1-2 working days before event start. Bonding protocol: OpenMPTCProuter or Speedify. Bonding server in Vienna for low latency. Failover time: < 100ms (seamless).

Conclusion: Internet Bonding as Standard for Critical Events

The Sport Austria Finals 2025 proved: Internet Bonding is production-ready for mission-critical applications. 3x 5G bonding provides sufficient bandwidth for multi-platform HD streaming. Provider diversification (A1, Magenta, Drei) minimizes outage risks. Monitoring & support are crucial for smooth operation.

800 gigabytes of data transfer without a single outage – that's not luck, but the result of thoughtful architecture and professional setup.