May 15, 2007
Updated 02:16:45 (Mla time)
With slower-than-expected ramp-up for 3G technology, mobile TV could be the next killer application in the
However, consumers should be given affordable options to encourage the market to adopt the technology, the analysts said.
Assuming that all mobile phone owners in the
Paul Shen, CEO of US-based rebroadcaster TVU, and Rex Wong, CEO of content aggregator DAVE TV, said on the sidelines of the summit that mobile TV could provide the “stickiness factor” that would make people stay with one telecom company or broadcaster in an increasingly fickle market.
This is because mobile TV allows viewers to watch their favorite soap operas, variety shows, news programs and sportscasts at their convenience, even while stuck in road traffic, they said.
However, both Shen and Wong said that for mobile TV to boom, users must have choices on what platforms and devices to use.
Mobile TV need not be limited to cellular phones, but also to other mobile devices, such as laptops, they added.
Bertrand Bidaud, managing vice president for carrier operations, strategies and communications research at advisory firm Gartner, expressed a similar view.
Gartner said broadcasting via 3G should be avoided because that could affect prices. “3G is much too expensive,” he said. “It is more cost-efficient to use radio [waves], so that the service can be cheaper and appealing.”
Smart Communications Inc. and MediaQuest Holdings, both units of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., are to launch their mobile TV service later this year, using Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVBH) technology.
Globe Telecom Inc. has also developed a mobile TV service called G-TV. As a rule, the subscriber needs a streaming-capable handset to access the service.
Broadcasting companies such as ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. and GV Broadcasting System Inc. have hinted at having similar plans. With INQUIRER.net
http://services.inquirer.net/express/07/05/15/html_output/xmlhtml/20070515-65932-xml.html
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