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EC lays down standard for mobile TV
But not everyone's convinced…

By Reuters

Published: Tuesday 18 March 2008

The European Commission moved to simplify the nascent mobile phone TV sector by adopting a standard backed by Nokia, but mobile operators said Brussels was acting too quickly.

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The Commission said setting the Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H) as the preferred European Union standard would give the industry a boost.

European Telecoms Commissioner, Viviane Reding, said in a statement: "For mobile TV to take off in Europe, there must first be certainty about the technology."

DVB-H is the only standard with a global presence although China, Japan, South Korea and the United States are embracing local rivals, such as one set by US company Qualcomm.

The European Union executive said its decision sent "an important signal" to other countries preparing to decide whether to opt for DVB-H or other standards.

EU countries will now be required to encourage the use of DVB-H, the Commission said.

Some EU member states, such as Germany, the Netherlands and the UK had been opposed to setting DVB-H as the single standard in the bloc.

But the EU executive said yesterday it was the one most widely used in Europe and is between trials and commercial launch in 16 countries.

The GSM Association, representing mobile operators in Europe, said it was staying neutral on mobile TV technology as it should be the market that decides on the standard.

A GSM Association spokesman said: "An official endorsement does carry weight but it's not clear if DVB-H is necessarily the best standard."

Broadcasters said the question of which standard is being endorsed was almost irrelevant as the fundamental issue was whether mobile television packages would pay their way.

Ross Biggam, director general of the Association of Commercial Television in Europe, said: "How do you design a compelling service that people will want? Even if it's free and financed by advertising, how many ads do people want to see on a small screen?"

Most countries have seen trials of mobile TV, such as sports, news and music videos although Italy is one of the rare EU states with a commercial-type service running, Biggam said.