Ericsson is reshaping its Mobile TV offering, going for mass-market penetration in growth markets by providing an excellent cross-platform end-user experience that is also available for low-end terminals.

Rickard Damm, Head of Digital Media at Ericsson’s Multimedia Division, says that the company is now focusing on unicast transmission over cellular networks, supporting linear TV and Video-on-Demand (VoD). He says that it will probably take more time for broadcast mobile TV to gain broad acceptance.

Rickard Damm

“We will continue to support the 3G-standard Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS). What we see now, however, is an evolution towards dedicated streams (unicast) with higher bit rates to support bigger screens.”

Damm says the key selling points of Ericsson’s Mobile TV & Video (MTV&V) offering are: excellent end-user experience, a best-in-class streaming server and simplicity of operation.

A key component of the Ericsson MTV&V solution, especially for targeting users in growing markets, is the Browser Based Implementation of Clients (BRIC), which gives end-users a good experience even on low-end terminals, supporting features such as Electronic Programming Guide (EPG), fast channel switching, fast forward, and rewind, Damm says.

The first release of BRIC was available in Q2 this year, and an improved version will be installed with key customers later this year. 

Ericsson’s MTV&V offering works on GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA infrastructure, LTE will also be supported, Damm says.

Alongside BRIC, going for mass-market reach, Ericsson’s MTV&V offering also supports high-end terminals, requiring a more advanced GUI.

Damm says that mobile TV uptake among consumers has not always gone as anticipated, with many deployments still not showing the uptake that was initially expected. There are several reasons for this, such as the operators charging for data traffic or the content not being attractive. Today, most operators launching Mobile TV services can learn from others’ mistakes and create immediate success. “Currently we see the biggest momentum in certain markets, such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC countries) where large-scale 3G rollouts are happening. I believe an attractive mobile TV offering will be an important part of the 3G mix consumers are prepared to pay premium fees for.”

The proliferation of netbooks will impact the mobile TV consumption, Damm says, especially in mature markets. “People will consume a lot of audiovisual content on these devices. Adding mobile TV will be a natural step.”

“I see huge possibilities for the developer community to tap into the mobile TV business, especially on the client side, developing niche applications,” Damm says.

By Benny Ritzén

Ericsson Mobile TV&Video