Today, a group of the industry's leading wireless and entertainment companies announced the formation of new organization created to promote the growth and evolution of Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld (DVB-H), an open procedure standard for broadcast digital TV reception on mobile devices. The organization, called the Mobile DTV Alliance, includes representatives from Intel Corporation, Modeo, Motorola, Nokia and Texas Instruments (TI). As mobile video entertainment gains increased awareness and achieves greater availability, the Alliance will focus on promoting the best practices and open standards that deliver premium-quality broadcast television to mobile devices for the North American market.
"The mobile TV market is heating up, with both trials and deployments accelerating over the next 12-18 months," said David Linsalata, Research Analyst for Mobile Markets at IDC. "The support of key industry players in promoting the advantages of the DVB-H standard will significantly aid mobile TV deployment efforts in North America."
An open procedure, industry-supported standard is expected to foster growth throughout the wireless market with more choices across the value chain from silicon, handsets, services and more. This should allow mobile DTV handsets and services to reach the mass market faster and at a lower cost to consumers.
Using mobile devices capable of decoding DVB-H signals, users will be able to receive live TV programming from the mobile TV function directly on their phone and other devices. In addition, users will benefit from on-demand and interactive programming that would utilize the cellular network, thereby increasing revenue opportunities for operators. The DVB-H standard benefits operators by preserving cellular network bandwidth for voice and other data services. Furthermore, mobile broadcast TV together with 2.5G and 3G networks offer an exceptional user experience and more efficient utilization of operators' spectrum and resources.
There are more than 10 DVB-H network trials that have either concluded or are currently underway around the globe, including Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries. By 2007, most U.S. major markets are expected to have DVB-H infrastructure built out and ready for deployment.
Members of the Alliance will hold a panel session and DVB-H demonstrations at NATPE Mobile++ later today at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas, to discuss the Alliance and the DVB-H standard.
For additional information on the Mobile DTV Alliance, visit:
www.mdtvalliance.org Mobile DTV Alliance Member Comments
"Consumers are demanding more content, such as live TV, from their mobile devices, and open procedure standards are key to delivering that content in a cost-effective way," said Kevin Jones, Director of Business Development for Intel's Mobility Group. "DVB-H is a very effective way to deliver high-quality, broadcast digital TV to mobile users, and Intel is a member of the Mobile DTV Alliance to help promote the standard and availability of this technology."
"Participation in the Mobile DTV Alliance by global leaders such as Intel, Motorola, Nokia and Texas Instruments indicates the significant market potential of DVB-H both in the United States and in other countries. With our unencumbered U.S. spectrum rights and significant broadcast experience, Modeo is well-positioned to deliver a DVB-H broadcast network that will give U.S. consumers a superior mobile television experience delivered through DVB-H-enabled portable devices," commented Michael Schueppert, President of Modeo LLC. Modeo is a subsidiary of Crown Castle International Corp.
"Motorola's extensive experience in video distribution and cellular tells us that Mobile TV is poised to be one of the next great consumer experience drivers," said Rob Bero, Director, Broadcast Technologies, Motorola Mobile Devices. "As a founding member of the Mobile Digital TV Alliance, we're pleased to be working with our fellow industry leaders to bring this experience to market faster and make it more accessible to subscribers everywhere via open standards such as DVB-H."
"Nokia is committed to the deployment of robust, scalable and interoperable DVB-H systems to ensure an exceptional experience with Mobile TV and related value-added services," said Juha Lipiainen, Director of Strategy & Business Development for Mobile TV, Nokia. "To this end, Nokia is pleased to be a part of this joint initiative to bring together technology, product and service leaders to ensure common implementation of DVB-H networks and terminals according to open industry standards."
"The Mobile DTV Alliance provides an open ecosystem for the mobile digital TV marketplace, greatly increasing revenue opportunities, innovation and services to consumers," said Yoram Solomon, Director of Strategic Marketing and Industry Relations for TI's Mobile Connectivity Solutions. "DVB-H is the most widely adopted standard in the world, and having an Alliance with members at every level of the wireless ecosystem, including partners and competitors alike, will ensure widespread adoption of DVB-H in North America."
