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Mobile TV racing ahead in the US
With US mobile-TV services having spread nationwide, operators are beginning to experience peaks in demand for special events, marking a new step for mobile TV in the country.
September 13, 2007
"All the tier-one operators in the US have launched mobile-TV services today," says Pankaj Asundi, Ericsson Vice President and CTO for Mobile Content in North America. "Subscribers are using mobile TV to download and watch on-demand content such as news and sports updates, short 'mobisodes' and weather updates. That is the first step in the evolution of mobile TV."
Asundi says demand for mobile TV in the US is starting to change. "We are beginning to experience peaks in demand in line with major sport events, concerts and such things. The future of mobile TV will be more like traditional TV usage, not just watching short, on-demand clips."
So why are US operators being so successful in providing mobile TV? Tina Iglio, Ericsson Vice President, Strategic Marketing in North America, says one reason is close cooperation with content providers. "Most content producers, as well as most of the big studios, are based in the US, which gives us a real advantage when it comes to delivering quality content for mobiles to the market. We can cooperate closely with them."
Ericsson is cooperating with many US content providers to help them realize their mobile-TV initiatives. "We are working with media companies all over the country. A prime example is Turner, who we helped to launch CNN's mobile TV option," Iglio says.
Mobile TV can be provided using existing networks or by building dedicated networks. The existing networks have uplink and downlink, which promotes interactivity, while dedicated networks are typically constructed with peer-to-multi-peer technology that supports high-usage capacity but not interactive use.
Asundi says today's use of mobile TV does not justify building new networks. "For the moment we can handle capacity demand by using and adding to existing networks. Capacity should not be an issue for operators right now."
US mobile TV users normally pay for a data package as well as a subscription fee for the add-on service. Iglio says one future possibility is financing mobile broadcasting through interactive commercial advertising. "In terms of business models, ads can benefit end users because they won't have to pay as much for what they watch. And we have worked experimentally with interactive advertising for mobile content that adds value for the end user."
US mobile TV is still in its early days. With availability anywhere and interactivity, its future direction is in the hands of the users.
