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O2 and the BBC are apparently both interested in hearing more from Qualcomm about a potential MediaFLO Mobile TV network in the UK, according to the FT.
As you might know, Qualcomm recently won the L-band radio spectrum auction in the UK, laying out £8.3m – small fry for a company that spent out many many times that in the US. Qualcomm also ran a trial with BSkyB last year, which is supposed to have gone very well.
The FT quotes an O2 representative as saying: “MediaFlo is a technology well suited to providing TV to mobiles. As always, it’s about having a good range of handsets and getting the customer experience right.”
The article quotes the BBC, meanwhile, as saying it was interested in mobile TV and talked to all the main players, adding: “We are watching the current situation with interest.”
I take the comment from O2 as interesting one – mainly because that’s absolutely the right stance to make the MediaFLO service work – user experience, decent handsets, and additionally I reckon, a closed delivery system – why? – well, with something as complex end-to-end as Mobile TV, having standards actually makes the process rather slow – having a closed loop with one source defining the specfications and acting as authority, means that compliance is a clear-cut thing. And with rapid development comes a quick launch – something Mobile TV as a service needs, in order to start generating those all-important revenues.
The fact that Qualcomm has “taken ownership” of providing the spectrum (and also infrastructure, were a service to be launched), means that operators and/or service providers could potentially lease the delivery channel, whilst offering their own services over, and alongside, the mobile broadcast TV experience – Neat-o!!
[Via: Mobile Entertainment]
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
