Wanted: New friend, must like mobile TV, says O2

O2 is looking to get into bed with rival operators in order to make its flavour of mobile TV, based on the Nokia-backed DVB-H standard, a reality.

Currently, operators opting to use the DVB-H standard are essentially waiting to hear which, if any, of the desired spectrum bands will be licensed for mobile TV by regulator Ofcom.

Announcing the results of O2's Oxford trial of the mobile television technology today, Mike Short, VP of research and development at O2, said getting more operators on board with mobile TV is crucial.

"We need the right spectrum," he said. "We want to explore much more UK collaborative activity."

Short said that "discussions have started" on shared mobile TV infrastructure with broadcast technology companies, TV firms and other mobile network operators.

Dr Hyacinth Nwana, MD of mobile media solutions at Arqiva, the firm that supplied the broadcasting system for O2, added: "As an industry, we're going to have to speak with one voice... Are there going to be five networks? I don't think that's going to be the case. There has to be some infrastructure sharing."

Like BT, which revealed the results of its own mobile TV trials last week, O2 has managed to unearth an element demand among consumers around mobile TV offerings.

According to O2 and Arqiva's research, users are tuning in for roughly three hours a week. The research also showed that 76 per cent of TV watchers would take up the service in 12 months but did not investigate how this number would be affected by possible price points.

The trial, which put Nokia TV-enabled handsets into the handsets of 375 O2 customers, will end in spring this year. O2's Short said the interim results of the trial have been surprising, with many users as expected tuning in during their morning and evening commute, but a greater number also getting square-eyed at home or at work.

Among the triallists, 36 per cent of TV watching was carried out at home – the most popular place - with 23 per cent at work or in university.

"What surprised us so far is the amount of viewing done at home," O2's Short said. "It's the convenience of, dare I say it, being able to watch it in the bathroom."

Have you taken part in BT's pilot with Virgin Mobile or O2's trial with Nokia? Let us know what you thought of the service by emailing editorial@silicon.com.