Intel, Nokia, Motorola form Mobile Digital Television Alliance

Offering television broadcasts to mobile phone with superior quality, the Digital TV Alliance aims to corner a large chunk of mobile digital entertainment.

24 January 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

World’s largest chipmaker Intel, mobile phone makers Nokia and Motorola and Modeo and Texas instruments have come together to offer television broadcasts to the mobile phone.

The giants have formed what is being addressed as The Mobile Digital Television (DTV) Alliance. The alliance intends to be key platform in the evolution of Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H).

The Mobile DTV Alliance, as expected, would initially focus on the lucrative North American market. The Mobile DTV Alliance aims to shun the cellular phone network and would directly broadcast to mobile devices. This could prove useful as the cellular network domain can be utilized for voice and data transfer alone.

Observers said the North American market was chosen because of the wide availability of spectrum resources.

The alliance partners hope that featuring a mobile broadcast television service on 2.5G and 3G networks would be an excellent way for optimization of spectrum and resources. Operators would also gain from increasing avenues for revenue, while users would gain from interactive-programming.

The Mobile Digital Television (DTV) Alliance sees most of the major markets ready for deploying Digital Video Broadcasting by 2007.

The alliance is already conducting trail runs of Digital Video Broadcasting in ten developed nations including the United States, Germany, France, Great Britain and Finland, in a bid to emerge as the key player in digital mobile entertainment sector.

Though the initial focus of the Alliance will be the north American market, the alliance is sure to expand its growth to Europe and Asia pacific once it tastes success with its superior quality broadcast which it hops to deliver.

With the formation of the Alliance, the Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld is taking on digital audio broadcast (DAB) technology and Qualcomm's MediaFlo technology.

With handsets compatible to DVB-H signals, users will be provided live television programmes on mobiles.

Qualcomm is setting up a network in the United States, which is expected to be ready by this year-end, which will use its FLO technology to distribute content including music and video to third generation mobiles.