Satellite operators team for mobile TV delivery on S-band

Satellite communications operators Eutelsat Communications and SES Global are forming a joint venture to transmit video, radio and data to mobile devices and vehicle receivers in the S-band. Alcatel Alenia Espace has won the contract to make the W2A satellite that will be used for the service, which is scheduled to start operating in 2009.

China enters mobile-TV fray

Chinese broadcast authorities this week announced they will launch their own technology standard for mobile TV. The Chinese standard is still in early stages of development.

First DVB-H Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU 3.0 TV Phone

GIGABYTE Communications today unveils the GSmart i200, the first DVB-H Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU 3.0 VGA handheld device, at the 3GSM World Congress Asia 2006. In fact, a major highlight of the event is the preview of the new GSmart DVB-H digital mobile TV device, GSmart i200. To demonstrate this live DVB-H mobile broadcast solution, GIGABYTE Communications has invited Innoxius Technologies and Penthera to participate in this event.

Ideally, mobile TV requires four-inch or larger display, says Nokia

A VGA or WVGA display sized larger than four inches will be ideal for mobile TV handsets, according to Nokia vice president Antti Laaperi, who made the remarks at FPD International 2006, which concluded in Yokohama, Japan on October 20.

Additionally, global sales of handsets featuring a TFT LCD- or AMOLED (active matrix organic light emitting diode)-based main display are expected to reach 700 million units in 2007, up from about the 400 million units projected for 2006, Laaperi stated.

By 2010, handsets featuring either a TFT LCD (one billion units) or an AMOLED (200 million units) main screen are likely to top 1.2 billion units while global handset sales are expected to reach 1.4 billion units, Laaperi said.

Mobile Digital TV Alliance Applauds Publication of TIA-1105, Making DVB-H a Formal Standard for US Market

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has adopted the first official open standard for mobile digital video broadcasting. The publication of TIA-1105, or Terrestrial Mobile Multimedia Multicast based on Digital Video Broadcasting for Handheld Devices (DVB-H) System gives official recognition to the specification and application of the global DVB-H standard in the United States. This is an important step toward broad adoption of the standard in the USA. The TIA is a major contributor of open industry standards that support global trade and commerce in communications products and systems.

Cost is Top Global Obstacle to 3G Adoption

And although more people now have 3G phones than ever before (20 per cent of mobile users worldwide) less than half (9 per cent) are using their 3G capability. Of the 26 per cent of people who have Wi-Fi access through their phones (including Smartphones and PDA phones), just 11 per cent are using it - and mobile TV is no more popular, with only 9 of the 21 per cent of people with mobile TV-capable phones actually using this service.

The Reality of Mobile TV in the UK

Mobile TV in the UK has started to become a reality and with the Oxford 3G/DVB-H Mobile TV trial revealing strong consumer demand for broadcast TV to mobiles, the Oxford University CPD Centre presents a new course in 3G / DVB-H (digital video broadcasting - handheld) Mobile TV.

Operators to test rival broadcast mobile TV system - Network World

Four European mobile phone operators have agreed to test a new broadcast mobile TV technology that uses idle radio frequencies acquired with their 3G high-speed mobile licenses.

3UK, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone Trial Mobile TV Powered by TDtv Technology

3UK, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone today announce the launch of a technical trial of TDtv, the UMTS TD-CDMA-3GPP Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services (MBMS) standard-based solution. The trial is expected to provide valuable insights for mobile operators into the potential of using their existing spectrum and infrastructure to deliver mobile television and other multimedia services.



The TDtv trial, which is scheduled to run to the end of the year, will test key performance and deployment aspects of the mobile TV technology. TDtv base stations provided by IPWireless have been deployed on 12 cell sites covering parts of Bristol in the UK to provide broadcast services to TDtv enabled smart phones. MobiTV, Inc., the international mobile and broadband television services company, will provide the client application, as well as facilitate the mobile content and operational components of the trial.



TDtv operates in the universal unpaired 3G spectrum bands that are available across Europe and Asia at 1900MHz and 2010MHz. It allows UMTS operators to further utilise their existing spectrum and network infrastructure to offer subscribers attractive mobile TV and multimedia packages without impacting other voice and data 3G services.



TDtv enables mobile operators to deliver multiple TV channels to an unlimited number of customers. Mobile operators deploying TDtv would also be able to deliver digital audio, multicast, or other IP data cast services to enhance their service offerings to customers.

Mobile TV Makes Mark

The mobile TV business may be in its infancy, but it's growing fast.

DVB-H Receiver is designed for multi-standard mobile TV., Frontier Silicon Ltd.

Supporting DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB, DAB-IP, and enhanced packet mode DAB, Paradiso FS1030 addresses mobile TV handset receiver standards resulting from differing regional deployment and spectrum regulation plans. Programmable baseband receiver IC allows for receiving mobile TV, video, audio, and data services and has open RF interface as well as integrated 2 MB MPE-FEC memory. Along with DSP-based software architecture, peripherals set includes SPI, SDIO, and USB interfaces.

Mobile telly is different

Traditional broadcasters need to understand that mobile TV is not just another channel but must be used differently if they are to get to grips with the new market.

Content will either have to be re-purposed for mobile or created specifically for mobile phones to be successful, according to Logica content and media VP Richard Porter. The success of user-generated content on services like YouTube means broadcasters will need to alter their scattergun approach. Porter used the example of Channel4's FourDocs programmes.

People will not use mobile TV in the same way as they use their plasma screens at home.

BT Movio Uses RadioScape’s Mobile TV Platform

RadioScape, a world leader in digital multimedia head-end and receiver technology, has upgraded the Arqiva DAB multiplex that handles BT Movio’s wholesale Mobile TV service, which was launched on 1 October 2006. The upgrade is to the latest version of RadioScape’s DAB Professional Broadcast System Version 5.1 and enables multiplexes to handle Mobile TV broadcasting. The upgrade is part of an agreement that will enable Arqiva to begin upgrading its inventory of 47 DAB digital radio multiplexes in the UK, which forms the world’s largest DAB installation and is used to provide virtually all of the UK’s commercial DAB broadcasts.