Not exactly the pure Symbian news, but interesting nevertheless. FreeBe TV, a service I’ve already talked about, now offers a desktop client. To remind you, FreeBe TV is the world’s first subscription-free mobile TV service. Their just launched desktop application offers instant access to a range of channels spanning multiple programme genres, with no need to open an Internet browser or type in a web address each time you wish to access the service – it is effectively a TV on the PC. Currently offering 12 channels, including live news, music and sports, FreeBe TV has already made an enormous impact in the mobile world with thousands of users already signed up to the service from over 140 countries. FreeBe TV mobile is carrier agnostic and can be accessed from 21 mobile phones (and counting) with WAP-enabled capabilities.

Interesting fact is that you don’t need a 3G to watch FreeBe TV – 2.5G will work as well.

Recent report from Telephia, indicates that mobile TV revenues grew 67% in Q2 to $86 million, while the mobile TV audience grew 45% to 3.7 million subscribers.

The report also includes ratings of viewership for top mobile channels:

1. ABC News – 40%
2. The Weather Channel – 32%
3. Fox Sports – 31%
4. ESPN – 29%
5. Fox News – 22%
6. NBC Mobile News – 20%
7. Comedy Central – 16%
8. AccuWeather – 15%
9. Discovery Kids – 15%
10. Discovery Channel – 13%
11. CNN – 12%
12. E! – 12%

Full report available from here.

Atelier – a Symbian Platinum Partner, a Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Qualified S60 Platform Contractor and a Nokia S60 Wireless Technology Provider – has integrated the latest DVB-H chip from NXP Semiconductors into a working prototype featuring live Mobile Digital TV reception in a Symbian OS environment.

Thanks to Atelier’s latest achievment, mobile phone manufacturers can take advantage from the low-power, reduced footprint BGT215 DVB-H chip combined with the software adaptation layer and integration expertise of Atelier for the creation of Mobile TV enabled handsets.

The Atelier / NXP Semiconductors DVB-H mobile Digital TV reference implementation for Symbian OS will be demonstrated at the Symbian Smartphone Show,on the Atelier stand number 47.

Introducing the worlds first free multi-channel mobile TV service – FreeBe TV. The service delivers video streams over 2.5G GPRS to WAP-enabled handsets. Yes, that include Symbian OS handsets.

By targeting primarily 18-36 year olds with smartphones, FreeBe TV have already seen 3,000 people sign-up to FreeBe TV in just the last 2 weeks from around the world.

Read the full article »

In an effort to encourage greater adoption of broadcast mobile TV services and accelerate service deployment, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) today announced that they will work together to achieve interoperability among their DVB-H enabled mobile devices and network services. The two of the largest handset manufacturers will work together to support solutions based on open DVB-IPDC standards available for operator partners interested in deploying multi-vendor mobile TV services and trials in 2006 and onward.

According to Informa, the mobile TV market is poised to grow exponentially – by 2010, there are anticipated to be over 50 million DVB-H enabled mobile devices sold globally. The deployment of mobile TV services will offer new business opportunities for companies across the value chain – including content and broadcast companies, mobile service providers, infrastructure and handset manufacturers and technology providers — and the availability of interoperable DVB-H enabled devices and services is a key factor in further opening up the market.

Among the many digital technologies available to deliver mobile TV services, Motorola and Nokia both view DVB-H as an effective technology for deploying broadcast mobile TV. DVB-H technology offers high service level quality, low battery consumption and offers the end-user the ability to simultaneously receive broadcasts while using other mobile services such as telephony and internet access on their device.

Today’s announcement from Nokia (NYSE: NOK), indicates that Nokia along with Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) will cooperate in the launch of the DVB-H based commercial mobile broadcast TV service.

This is the first such Nokia’s agreement for the Asia Pacific region, and among the first commercial rollouts globally.

VTC will make available its mobile PayTV services to consumer subscribers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by end-2006. Consumers in both cities will be able to enjoy seven digital TV channels as well as a video-on-demand service from a catalog of selected titles offered by VTC. The service is available on Nokia’s Nseries DVB-H enabled multimedia devices, delivered by the Nokia N92 which will make its debut in Vietnam for this purpose.

VTC plans to extend the coverage to a national level over a two-year period.

Smartphone Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N92 is about to be tested again, as Nokia announced a new contract with TeliaSonera Sweden for a complete DVB-H trial system.

The system is currently being installed at the Nokia facility in Kista, Stockholm, supported by Nokia’s consulting and integration services. It will be hosted and managed by the Nokia team, to allow TeliaSonera Sweden to offer the full benefits of mobile television. The system will be in extensive use in Gothenburg and Stockholm from early August until year-end. TeliaSonera marks a new customer for Nokia Mobility Hosting.

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) had already done some research regarding the DVB-H technology. Now, another pilot project involves German mobile network operators E-Plus, O2 (NYSE: TEF), T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD). It started in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and Munich and will run until August 31 except Munich where the pilot ends on July 31, 2006. The main point is to allow FIFA World Cup visitors to enjoy live TV programs.

During the pilot project 14 TV channels (ARD, ZDF, Nord3, BR, RBB, RTL, Sat.1, ProSieben, n-tv, N24, VOX, MTV Music, Eurosport and a regional channel) and six radio channels are accessible live on any DVB-H enabled device (i.e. Nokia N92).

The mobile TV pilot is based on DVB-CBMS open standards, which is supported by a number of handset and mobile TV platform manufacturers, including Nokia.

UPDATE: Apparently, it is not that financialy viable to operate a mobile TV broadcasting service. Cellular-News has a story.

Results from pilots on broadcast (DVB-H) mobile TV services amongst consumers in Finland, the UK, Spain and France have revealed clear consumer demand for such services as well as important indications over future business models for commercial mobile TV services. Each of the pilots involved broadcasts of live digital TV content over DVB-H networks to the Nokia 7710 smartphone.

Consumer demand for mobile TV:

• In Oxford, UK – 83% of participants were satisfied with the service and over three quarters (76%) said they would take up the service within 12 months.
• In France – 68% said they would pay for mobile TV services.
• In Spain – 55% were willing to do so as well. Nearly 75% of Spanish participants would recommend the service to friends and family.

Read the full article »

British Sky Broadcasting (Sky) and Symbian Limited today announced that BSkyB selected Symbian OSâ„¢ for Sky by mobile, the interactive application which puts the UK’s leading digital TV service into the hands of millions of mobile phone users.

Sky by mobile, offers Sky digital and Sky Bet customers an value-added way to access Sky on the move at no extra cost. Once downloaded from Sky by mobile onto an appropriate 2.5G or 3G Symbian OS phone, users are presented with a viewing guide with the same look and feel as the Sky Guide, Sky’s electronic programme guide.

The application offers a range of TV content, including sports, entertainment, news and weather and provides access to a wide range of interactive services including personalised news, sports headlines and “on the fly” betting for Sky Bet account holders. In order to handle this large volume of real-time multimedia content in an effective way the application was developed using native C++ on Symbian OS.