12 July 2024

As votes were tallied and results announced, thanks to Cellhire the BBC was able to provide continuous coverage throughout the night, employing a combination of reporters, crews, freelancers and state-of-the-art streaming solutions.

“I am delighted that Cellhire was able to play such a key role in bringing the election to millions of people across the UK. The visibility provided by our IoT solution not only allowed the public to stay informed but also enhanced the transparency and accountability of the electoral process,” said Tony Guerion, Cellhire chief executive officer.

Cellhire’s “Count Cam” packages, equipped with pre-configured iPhones, helped the BBC to enhance its election broadcast coverage. The Count Cam kits featured an adapted Apple iPhone 12 with an integrated battery pack and a tripod, making it quick and easy to set up and stream across the different venues.

“Ensuring that the viewing public could witness the vote-counting in real time helped to foster trust in the democratic process. With the BBC, we set a new level of access and transparency in the democratic process, which is essential in maintaining the integrity of our elections,” said Guerion.

The iPhones were fitted with Cellhire’s multi-network IoT SIM cards, allowing them to always remain connected to the best available UK mobile network. This ensured extensive geographic coverage and reduced the likelihood of any downtime to close to zero. Additionally, Cellhire further optimised the devices by installing essential apps only, making them easier to use and ensuring more efficient performance.

Streams from the Count Cam packages were transmitted to a virtual screen in the BBC TV studio, with individual streams accessible via iPlayer and the BBC’s online constituency pages.

“The setup allowed for an impressive, interactive viewing experience by providing live updates and visuals from locations across the UK,” said Guerion.

Cellhire's pre-configured iPhone kits offered a cost-effective alternative to deploying full news crews, enabling quick and efficient setup of broadcast-quality live feeds. The user-friendly design and simple instructions meant that anyone could set up and operate the kits, helping to democratise the process of live reporting.

“The aim to livestream from every county across the UK was incredibly ambitious and, due to its scale, would have been challenging to accomplish using traditional broadcasting methods. The project involved numerous moving parts, but connectivity was at its core, with the multi-network SIM cards offering a particularly efficient solution. The user-friendly setup was easily configurable, even by staff without a technical background, allowing us to add a brand new dimension to the BBC's election night coverage,” said Geraint Thomas, assistant editor who led the project for BBC News.

“We delivered the most personalised election coverage ever in live video. Across the UK, wherever you looked you could see democracy in action, live. The ability to choose from any one of 369 counts on the night meant we could always be where the story was. When augmented with our traditional broadcast live Satellite News Gathering, SNG, and bonded connectivity, we could guarantee we’d be where audiences needed us, on digital platforms, TV and radio all night long,” said Jonny McGuigan, BBC News streaming editor.