The mobile television debut in India

NEW DELHI: With mobile TV soon to debut in India, everyone is eager to know what this new service will offer businesses and consumers alike. Not only does this emerging entertainment medium promise a paradigm shift for TV buffs but also for wireless and broadcast industries that are poised to benefit tremendously from it. Combining the technologies of television and mobile telephony, mobile TV makes high quality television content available on the go and in a format that the viewers understand. The convergence of these two technologies also introduces new forms of interactivity and personalisation, enabling the delivery of compelling content and services for a rich consumer experience. Although mobile TV is a recent phenomenon, countries such as Japan and Korea have been quick to embrace the opportunity and deploy new services. South Korea in particular has had a head start in broadcast mobile TV. However, Japan and the US are expected to overtake it in terms of the number of users, purely based on their large addressable mobile subscriber bases. According to Juniper Research, Japan, the US and South Korea are predicted to eventually comprise 39% of the projected $11.7 billion global broadcast mobile TV subscriber market while Germany, Italy, the UK, India and China will account for 36% by 2011. What will attract viewers to mobile TV? Traditional television viewing has been largely ‘place-bound’--restricted to the home or occasionally in a restaurant or sports bar. The home television has been shared by members of a family, with everyone fighting over the remote control to see their favourite shows. Mobile TV, by definition and in sharp contrast to traditional TV, will enable ‘place-shifting’ – allowing consumers with the most personal experience of viewing content wherever they go. According to TRAI, India’s mobile subscriber base totals 232.87 million (as of July 2007). It’s expected to grow to over 500 million mobile connections by 2010. The mobile phone has become a truly ubiquitous device in India today, with users looking to do everything on their mobile phones, from organising their day to playing the latest games. The debut of mobile TV in India seems to be the natural progression in technological innovation. It’s a revolution that will empower business users with the latest stock information, entertain teenagers with their favourite music videos and allow busy soccer moms to catch their favourite soaps, all on the go. Mobile TV also promises to open up opportunities for governments to enhance services to citizens, ranging from education to healthcare to safety, security and emergency-related initiatives. The technology behind it Mobile TV is still in its early stages and wide adoption hinges on broad consumer choice and investment. FLO (Forward Link Only), DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld), DMB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial) and ISDB-T (Integrated Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial) are some of the digital broadcasting technology standards that have been deployed commercially by mobile operators and broadcasters. Source: IndiaTimes Infotech

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