Providers around the world are trying out a variety of technologies and business models for sending real-time TV services to mobile devices. But the mass market has not yet been conquered, and telecom operators are expected to tackle it with a solution that unleashes the full potential of their mobile networks.

Mobile TV is about sending continuous TV feeds to handheld devices, offering users services they can access at any time. Today there are basically three ways in which this can be done: by satellite, through the terrestrial digital TV network, or via unicast over mobile networks. However, each of these three methods faces its own set of constraints, which is why providers are currently experimenting with different setups to determine the optimum model for a mass-market offering.

Telecom operators are starting to provide unicast TV services via their mobile networks, safe in the knowledge that an emerging technology called Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services (MBMS) will eventually remove any constraints they are facing. The current challenge is that unicast TV streams consume a large amount of bandwidth, so operators using this method, including Sprint and Telecom Italia, must carefully balance network capacity with cost per Megabyte of data. This means that profitable mass-market offerings are difficult to achieve without compromising on quality.

 

But MBMS promises to resolve network capacity problems by taking mobile TV services beyond unicast. The technology will facilitate the integration of broadcast and multicast transmission into mobile network infrastructure, saving scarce bandwidth resources and translating into a higher quality TV offering at a lower cost. An integral part of the 3GPP initiative for the global standardization of TV-to-mobile technology, MBMS is likely to be in use from 2006.

 

Providers using the other two delivery methods (satellite or the terrestrial TV network) run into problems of a different kind. The challenge for satellite players is that coverage, particularly indoors, is far more limited than people would be willing to accept from voice services; the benchmark mass-market offering. But this did not stop Korea's TU Media from partnering with Japan's Mobile Broadcasting to launch a satellite dedicated to providing TV-to-mobile services. And in Malaysia, telecom operators Maxis and Digi have begun offering live satellite feeds to mobiles.

 

Providers using terrestrial digital TV as a delivery medium also find it difficult to send reasonable-quality services to indoor users. This is why moves are afoot to further develop a technology called Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H), which optimizes TV signals for broadcast to handheld devices. Earlier this year, UK Operator O2 and the broadcast division of NTL announced a trial project using the technology.

 

So while other providers will continue experimenting with different mobile TV solutions, it seems likely that MBMS will emerge as mobile operators' preferred choice over the coming years. In terms of coverage and mobility, users are expecting from mobile TV what they get today from voice services, and MBMS is currently the only technology under development that can meet this demand. By using MBMS over their GSM and 3G networks, operators will be well-positioned to lead the way toward the mass market for mobile TV.

In addition to mobility and rapid data speeds, mobile broadband will offer consumers nationwide coverage, unchallenged flexibility, full interoperability and superior reliability. By allowing subscribers this kind of freedom, operators will enjoy a significant boost in revenue, as rapid data speeds will encourage the downloading of pictures, videos, music files and more.

 

While usage of mobile broadband services will spur the development of new hybrid access devices, laptop computers will, in the short term, probably remain consumers' first choice. In 1997, global laptop sales stood at around 13.3 million units, representing 14 percent of the total market for computers. This figure almost tripled to 35.3 million in 2003, and by the end of 2004, it is expected to reach 42.5 million. Operators have recognized this trend and are already providing 3G data cards for laptops.

 

But it is not only consumers and enterprises driving demand for mobile broadband. Governments are now launching initiatives that will make internet access an inalienable citizens' right. In 2002, the European Union established a Mobile Broadband Wireless Access work group, charging it with realizing the vision of widespread deployment of broadband wireless networks. A similar drive is taking place in the USA, where the promise of broadband access for all became a policy issue in the 2004 presidential elections.

 

Governments are also interested in using mobile broadband for electronic administration. The wireless internet will be a cost-effective and convenient way to reach citizens in remote, inaccessible areas. This will be particularly relevant to governments of large, populous countries, such as China, India, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia, where much of the future growth in internet usage is expected to come from. And for many of the citizens of these countries, mobile broadband will be the primary way in which they access the internet.

 

Until now, telecom companies have largely foregone remote and inaccessible areas, as the cost of installing wireline networks is both difficult and prohibitively expensive. But 3G mobile networks present a cost-efficient means of covering such regions with both voice and broadband services, which will be key to the economic development of previously unconnected local markets. By allowing the wider transfer of knowledge, mobile broadband has a significant role in helping to overcome economic and cultural divisions.

 

Ericsson is taking a leading role in helping 3G operators to realize the mobile broadband opportunity. The company has already supplied to 27 out of 45 commercially launched WCDMA networks, and is today the undisputed leader in radio network technology. The strength of this position allows Ericsson to ensure that mobile broadband will drive long-term growth in the telecom industry and will become a significant source of revenue for its customers.