Mobile DTV Alliance

“Mobile DTV Alliance” has been launched by four leading vendors, Nokia, Motorola, Intel and Texas Instrument. Its goal is to promote broadcasting instead of streaming. With streaming, TV transmission uses mobile operator networks and they will be rapidly saturated when the market takes off. With broadcasting, TV channels are sent by air and do not use anymore the mobile operator networks. Several technologies are competing, so the importance of this group to promote the DVB-H technology. To have a common standardized technology is crucial, especially in fragmented European market, to provide seamless reception from a country to another and a stronger business model. DVB-H is already tested, and first results reveal some weaknesses, such as indoor reception and spectrum availability until analog TV transmission is over. A mixed technology, DVB-H and satellite, could be a solution and first results are encouraging.

According to Informa, almost 125m mobile TV subscribers would be registered by 2010, and DVB-H technology would hold a 60% market share. 83M TV-enabled mobile handsets would be shipped in 2010, vs 130k in 2005. Subscribers could be ready to pay between €5 and €10 for mobile TV services, according to Informa.

Simultaneously, S. Korea and China have entered into a technical collaboration agreement on DMB. Korea is a world leader in DMB, and Beijing Jolon Digital Media Broadcasting (BJDMB) hopes to commence trail terrestrial DMB service in Beijing by April 2006.