So last year at NAB I saw two companies showing off Cellular Bonding technology, this year there were quite a few showing it off. I even attended a seminar on it and I heard that CNN is only using it for remote broadcasts.
What it is of course is tying several different cellular networks together (bonding) to create a larger data pipe than any one cellular network could provide. They use to do this in the old days with multiple dial-up modems. Now with this larger data pipe you can compress an Audio/Video feed and send it over that pipe back to the station. Much cheaper than a full-blown ENG truck with the associated microwave receivers and dishes.
Its being used right now to stream live video and audio from protests in the middle East as 
well as many other live events. 3G and 4G are being used, you just have to sign up for a data plan, usual from various Cellular providers to increase the likelihood of getting a signal and there being available bandwidth.
Some of the problems associated with Cellular Bonding is that you are using a system never designed to carry such large amounts of realtime data, and there’s no QoS (Quality of Service) so you never know how good the link is. Any 
event that brings out a news crew is bound to bring more than one and with them will be John and Jane Q. Public also taking pictures and video and uploading them to social media sites. All these means your going to be competing with everyone else at the event for the available bandwidth of the cellular data networks.
Most of the new entries to the Cellular Bonding market used very small boxes, they fit right on top of the camera, about the size of a paper back book (like a Kindle but made of paper). Then I go over to StreamBox, who I saw last year, and see that they have a full backpack for their Cellular Bonding / Encoding setup. So I ask them why is their’s so big?
Brian from StreamBox explained that their system has several advantages over the other, smaller systems. First is their encoder, it’s integrated with the cellular bonding technology in that to two talk to each other. As the bandwidth changes, due to network activity or signal strength, the encoder can dynamically change they way in which the video and audio are encoded making for much better pictures under changing circumstances. Plus they use a one touch encoding selection system, this allow the non-technical operator to choose a low latency connection for faster video streaming or higher quality which many times entails more latency, all at the touch of a button.
StreamBox Extender
Another feature is the use of the range extender kit, this consists of a box to hold the Cellular Network adapters as well as power amplifiers for both G3 and G4 networks. Theres also a telescopic mast that allows for mounting the combined antenna, getting it above the crowd.Together this extends the range of the system to several miles, well beyond your typical cel phone, it’s even been used on a moving train.
Newer systems from companies like TVU will incorporate both Cellular Bonding and ASI out to directly feed an 
ENG Trunk after it has been setup. While others promise to use both cellular and WiFi to expand the bandwidth even more. Panasonic is looking to put Cellular bonding directly into their cameras. And JVC now has FTP upload ability into their camera.
It will only get more interesting.
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Once more AT&T does not like my 8VSB signal. They sent me an email showing me what their equipment shows them, which is not good. So a few days later when I had some time I borrowed my neighbor’s R&S and took a look, Sure enough it looked bad. How could this be, I had just run through the setup just a few weeks before and it’s bad again?
