teleguy
Enthusiast
Mar 9, 2005, 1:36 AM
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What do you think, will this service be stronger competition or for Verizon V-cast or Sprint's MobiTV?
Nokia Launches Mobile TV Screen Test
Jay Wrolstad, www.toptechnews.com
As part of a global push to bring multimedia entertainment into the palm of consumers' hands, Nokia (news - web sites) (NYSE: NOK - news) has joined forces with a group of wireless technology firms and content providers to test a mobile TV service on the Finnish company's home turf.
The world's top mobile phone manufacturer is working with carriers Sonera (Nasdaq: SNRA - news) and Elisa, along with YLE -- the Finnish broadcasting company -- to deliver live broadcasts to the handsets of some 500 wireless customers in Helsinki during the trial set to run until June 20.
Broadcast News
TV and radio programs from the likes of MTV, CNN and BBC can be accessed on the Nokia 7710 smartphone, which is equipped to receive TV broadcast signals.
Elisa and Sonera will handle customer billing and connections to the service. Finland's Digita is providing the infrastructure and will manage the network, while Nokia will offer service management and the handhelds for receiving the content.
Rather than using a cellular network, the pilot program operates on the Internet Protocol Device Control (IPDC) system that supports the latest Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) mobile video standard, which is designed to enable the simultaneous transmission of several television, radio and video channels to mobile devices.
Interest Builds in Mobile Video
Mobile TV is in the nascent stage, although carriers and content providers in different parts of the globe are introducing variants of mobile video services.
In the U.S., for example, Verizon, with Vcast, and Sprint (NYSE: FON - news), with MobiTV, are testing the waters with offerings that use their cellular networks.
Some companies are taking a different approach, citing broadcast firms in South Korea (news - web sites) and Japan that are poised to launch a satellite-based service that can delivers multimedia content to mobile phones, PDAs and in-vehicle receivers.
UK-based operator 02 also is getting involved, having recently announced a trial to test multichannel television on mobile phones with an integrated digital-television receiver.
"There is a lot of interest among handset makers and carriers, as well as third-party companies offering video streams to the operators," IDC analyst David Linsalata told TopTechNews.
A Joint Effort
Linsalata suggested that as mobile TV evolves, along with third-generation wireless networks, customers will be offered a variety of choices for accessing content, including broadcast or cellular systems. "The question is which method is most efficient and cost-effective for carriers and consumers?" said Linsalata.
The Nokia offering is noteworthy in that it brings together all of the parties required to provide a compelling and potentially profitable mobile TV service, said Yankee Group analyst Shelley Chhabra. "For mobile TV to succeed it has to be packaged the right way, and to eventually be integrated with low-cost handsets, which is what Nokia is attempting to do," she told TopTechNews.
Still, it is not yet clear how many people will want to watch TV on a small-screen handheld device. Vendors and carriers are working on improving the displays, as well as the quality of the images, Linsalata said.
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