UK Mobile Operators Team for Common Mobile TV Platform

The Independent reports that mobile operators in the UK are in discussion to ease the spectrum squeeze by building a common platform for broadcasting TV content to mobile phones.
In the UK spectrum that is ideal for mobile broadcasting via the technology platform DVB-H will not be available until 2012, and concerns are high that this could set the UK far behind countries such as Germany, Italy and Korea that already have commercial plans for offering mobile TV broadcasting firmly in place. Germany's regulator freed up spectrum to allow broadcast of the World Cup and UK operators are now doubly determined not to miss an opportunity around the London Olympics in 2012. Most UK operators already offer mobile television, but not on a common or cost-effective platform. Orange and 3 UK, for example, stream TV content over 3G.

However, an Orange spokesperson told me in an email that the operator is "open to considering DVB-H as an alternative to other mobile TV platforms if it offers a better customer experience and a more cost-effective method for broadcasting content". The spokesperson continued: "We are currently conducting DVB-H trials in France and continue to explore potential future networking options."

Virgin Mobile has launched a broadcast TV service using the BT Movio network using the DAB platform. The report says the current talks between the operators could result in a "broadcaster building one network that all participating mobile operators could use". Spearheading the talks is O2, which has also tested DVB-H services together with broadcaster Arqiva using Nokia phones. O2 has since been lobbying the UK telecoms industry regulator to free up spectrum as early as 2008.

(c) Independent in MocoNews retelling

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