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Hello and welcome to the October issue of the Nokia Mobile TV Forum newsletter!

October 2006

September was a very busy month for industry conferences, from IBC in Amsterdam to CTIA in Los Angeles. We also have some quite interesting mobile TV news concerning commercial service rollouts, partnerships, and technology standardization. Read on!

DVB-H network launches in Italy, Vietnam

Italian mobile operator 3 Italia launched their mobile TV service during the summer. This DVB-H-based service has attracted 140,000 subscribers to date. The channel lineup of the 3 Italia service comprises a total of eight channels from Rai, Mediaset, and Sky Italia, plus two new channels produced by the operator. Subscribers have several pricing options to choose from, with the basic monthly option priced at 29 €. Currently the network covers 74% of the Italian population.

Also in Italy, Telecom Italia Mobile has now opened its own mobile TV service on Mediaset's DVB-H network.

The next DVB-H mobile TV network launch is to take place in Vietnam. Vietnam Multimedia Company (VTC) announced earlier this month that they will provide mobile TV services in two areas starting this year, with plans to cover the most of the country within two years. Included in the content offering are seven TV channels and a video-on-demand service.

A multitude of DVB-H pilots are ongoing around the globe and further announcements about commercial mobile TV rollouts are expected in the coming months from countries including Finland, Indonesia, and the USA.

Motorola and Nokia to cooperate on mobile TV interoperability

At IBC in Amsterdam, Motorola and Nokia announced a cooperation aiming at ensuring interoperability of DVB-H devices and network services. Both parties support the open DVB-IPDC standard, which allows operators to deploy multi-vendor mobile TV services. Nokia announced a similar cooperation agreement with Sony Ericsson earlier this year.

"In order for mobile TV to be a true success, we need interoperable mobile devices and systems which deliver the best experience for consumers," says Harri Männistö, Director, Multimedia Experiences, Nokia.

"Operators around the world are evaluating broadcast mobile TV as a compelling new service to offer their subscribers - and interoperability will play a key role in bringing these services to market faster," said Rob Bero, Director of Broadcast Technologies, Mobile Devices, Motorola.

Mobile DTV Alliance publishes DVB-H implementation guidelines

The Mobile Digital TV Alliance, the North American consortium supporting the development of DVB-H-based mobile TV services, has announced the approval of DVB-H implementation guidelines. The guidelines define a practical methodology for mobile TV service developers to ensure service interoperability among various solutions to be offered in DVB-H networks. The alliance also ensures that the published guidelines, on their part, foster the deployment of DVB-H-based networks and services.

The Mobile Digital TV Alliance is an open industry consortium, whose members include companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Modeo, Motorola, Nokia, and Texas Instruments.

Mobile TV operator Modeo is expected to launch a commercial DVB-H service in select US cities later this year.

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About the Editor

Timo Argillander is the independent editor of the Mobile TV Forum newsletter. Timo is a consultant and journalist specializing in digital media content and technologies.

He contributes articles to various publications, covering developments in mobile TV, digital TV, and the Internet. He also acts as a strategic advisor to media and technology companies and governmental organizations.