In the vast majority of the European countries, it is now possible to get pictures on mobile phones (with UMTS mobile high flow), but the network is quickly overloaded and the quality of the reception is far from being optimal. More effective technologies are now being experimented with higher quality offers for pictures and sound and also the possibility to switch quickly (in a few seconds) from one channel to another.
The DMB norm (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) is used in Japan and South-Korea. China works on its own norm (Chinese Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting), whereas the United States prefer MediaFlo, thanks to an association launched by 800 American TV channels which decided to implement their own technology by 2009 (Open Mobile Video Coalition).
The DVB-H norm (Digital Video Broadcasting on Handheld’s) is expanding in Europe. In March 2008, DVB-H was recognized as the European standard by the European commission which thus hopes to speed up the development of commercial mobile television throughout the 27 member states. The European countries are invited to favour DVB-H, but they are not obliged to do so. The use of this standard has a cost (defined by licenses) and claimed by TDF, France Telecom, TB invent, Nokia, LG and Samsung… 4 Europeans and 2 Koreans!
The « great leap forward » announced for 2007/2008 is still playing hard-to-get. 2008, announced as the year of mobile revolution rather turns out to be a year of transition. Italy is the only country to really have had a commercial launch for mobile TV, but this new media is far from being popularized. Even though Europe was in the lead with the UMTS norm, they are having some trouble in accelerating the movement: consumers seem to be in no hurry to discover this new technology, which is booming in Asia though. In Japan and South-Korea (world leaders for mobile TV), the daily average usage per person is one hour. In Europe, broadcasters and telco operators are far from expecting such enthusiasm, but a recent study shows that mobile TV consumption in Japan takes place primarily at home.
The actual start of mobile TV in Europe has to coincide with the Beijing Olympic Games and the European Football Championship: the “pocket TV” should then leave the experimental phase for a more commercial development. The pictures of these two great sport events are supposed to serve as loss leaders… and to make the use of this technology indispensable.
The “birth” of this new media (in the wake of the internet) will cause a true revolution in our behaviours… and a myriad of unsolved questions: which content? which price? which standard, which regulations?
With a few exceptions, European countries do not wish to lag behind and wish to take their share of the huge financial profits that will be generated by the mobile revolution: replacement of mobile phones, creation of new programs, broadcasting rights…
But everything remains to be invented. Technology alone is not enough to bring about the mobile venture and “mobile TV” is still considered as a gadget. The challenge is not yet won, even if Austria, Switzerland and The Netherlands have started to broadcast in June 2008 in time for the European Football Championship, thus catching up with Italy, Finland and Albania by joining them in the still very select club of mobile TV.
It is noteworthy that the six European countries which have already launched mobile TV have done so by using the European DVB-H norm.
- MOBILE TV ALREADY IN BROADCAST
Italy: It is the very first European country to have launched in 2005 a commercial mobile TV with DVB-H. Run by the telco operator 3 Italia, it offers two channels, specifically conceived for mobile TV by the operator.
Two other operators followed: TIM which offers a “best of” of Canal 5 and Italia 1 and Vodaphone which relays 9 Sky channels.
No precise count of the number of subscribers who are estimated at approximately 600,000 to 800,000. It is possible to subscribe on a daily basis, hence the difficulty to show an accurate account of regular customers. Italians are “mobile addicts” but, nevertheless, are partisans of a wait-and-see policy regarding the commercial development of mobile TV, considered more as a business, than a new media.
Public TV is totally absent from the DVB-H commercial offer with 3 Italia whereas it is associated with TIM for the UMTS offer.
Mobile TV is also available with UMTS through different telco operators which offer most of the generalist and thematic channels.
Alcatel-Lucent, Mobile 3 Italia and RAI have launched beginning of 2008 in Torino the first worldwide test of DVB-SH mobile TV.
Finland: It is the second European country to have started to broadcast mobile TV: after several years of tests, this service was launched end of June 2007 with DVB-H under the aegis of Digita (the Finnish subsidiary company of TDF - Télé Diffusion de France). Three TV channels were broadcast to start with, but due to problems of regulations of the broadcasting rights, it had to be stopped. Finland has, therefore, the network, the technology but no longer the content. A paradoxical situation in the land of Nokia, major actor in the development of mobile TV and owner of a part of the DVB-H licenses.
Austria: Media Broadcast (subsidiary of TDF in Germany) has obtained the broadcast license for mobile TV in Austria in March 2008. Mobile TV has been available since the beginning of the European Football Championship (June 2008) in the four cities that host the European Football Cup: Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt. By the end of 2008, 50% of the Austrian population should have access to mobile TV.
Media Broadcast offers a package of 15 TV channels and 5 radio programmes.
Switzerland: Swisscom Broadcast has obtained in October 2007 a national concession for broadcast in DVB-H. Actual start is spring 2008. The European Football Championship 2008 will be broadcast on mobile TV. Swisscom Broadcast committed itself to serve 44% of the population by the end of the year (info Forum mobile TV).
The Netherlands: Official and actual launch of mobile TV took place beginning of June 2008 following the initiative of the principal telco operator, the KPN group which offers a package of 10 TV channels at a monthly cost of 10 €. The broadcast norm is DVB-H.
Albania: Broadcasting in DVB-H has started in 2006 with the private telco operator Digitalb. The first year was completely free of charge. Only private Albanese channels are broadcast on mobile TV. Public TV is not involved in the development of mobile TV.
- BROADCAST READY TO START
Germany: the launch of mobile TV in broadcast is still planned for 2008. The tender for the allocations of the DVB-H frequencies has attracted twenty nine candidates: public TV did not make an offer (why pay for programmes that are otherwise free?).
Besides mobile TV is available with the UMTS norm with Vodafone and T-Mobile (Eurosport, Pro sieben, RTL, Sat 1, MTV, N-TV) with short programmes, news, movie trailers, musical spots. DMB experiment is also running (Regensburg and Munich): Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland got the license and the network brings together 16 big urban areas.
A DVB-H experiment is to take place this summer in Bavaria, in the city of Erlangen. This project is led by the University, the Fraunhofer Institut and the Bayerischer Rundfunk. It will experiment the first regional contents, specifically dedicated to mobile TV. The main difficulty remains the provision of mobile phones which will undoubtedly be reserved to the inner circle of the initiators of the experiment.
France: Mobile TV has been available since 2005 with UMTS. The 3 telco operators (SFR, Bouygues, Orange) each offer several packages of generalist and thematic channels, public and private. Orange (belonging to the group France Telecom) offers short and specific programmes and will soon, in association with France Television launch a new service called Rewind TV (programmes from the public TV channels -apart from news and films- will remain available for 7 days after their broadcast).
Several experimentations in DVB-H and T-DMB have taken place since 2006, one of which took place in the Underground in Paris and the other at the Roissy airport.
During those experimentations, it was noted that the daily usage did not exceed 20 minutes, half of which took place at home.
There is a law now in France on the television of the future, this law has been promulgated in March 2007.
The CSA (Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, the French regulatory agency) has selected 13 private channels out of 32 for the Digital Terrestrial frequencies. Three frequencies have already been reserved for the public TV (France 2, France 3 and ARTE).
Among the 13 chosen ones, 2 surprises : the telco operator Orange & EuropaCorp, channel launched by the film producer, Luc Besson.
The first programmes on mobile TV, once awaited for the Beijing Olympic games, will probably only be launched by spring 2009 and only in a few major cities. By 2015, mobile TV should be accessible by about 60% of the French population (about hundred cities).
The norms, officially made up, are DVB-H and DVB-SH.
- UMTS MOBILE TV AND BROADCAST EXPERIMENTATION
Belgium: Proximus and Mobistore, 2 telco operators, have been offering TV programmes in UMTS norm for the past two years. This service (which only offers one channel, RTL) is not much used.
At the end of 2007, RTBF has launched a DVB-H test in the city of Brussels. This experiment is still ongoing. It offers the two main RTBF channels (one and two).
RTBF has obtained a DVB-H frequency from the government that can host up to 8 channels. It is counting on a commercial development in 2008 and is preparing a specific content. Broadcasting in the French-speaking part of Belgium is entirely digitalized.
A mobile TV experiment was carried out in Flanders in 2006.
In Belgium, each regional government is the decision-maker. And the frequencies belong to each community.
Denmark: Two operators (TDC and 3) offer TV programmes through UMTS, as streaming or by VOD.
Viasat and TDC have just launched an experiment in DVB-H.
Spain: Mobile TV has been accessible through UMTS since 2005. Recently Telefonica offered 26 channels for 5 Euros per month. The DVB-H technology is announced for 2008 with Albertis Telecom. Vodaphone and Sogecable are also in the running. A decree is in preparation to authorize the launch of broadcasting TV on mobile.
Ireland: 4 telco operators (O2, Meteor, Vodafone, 3) offer on demand programmes with UMTS.
In the same way, RTE is now conducting an experiment of broadcast in DVB-H in the Dublin area. This test should lead to an extension of the DVB-H reception over the whole country within 12-18 months.
U.K.: Most of the telco operators offer TV with UMTS or DMB, with the possibility to watch the programmes live and to download videos. The slowness of the connections acts however as a brake upon the development of mobile TV, even if the BBC has recorded more than 2 million connections for July 2007 alone.
A test in DVB-H was carried out a few years ago in Oxford by Virgin Mobile with a package of 5 channels live, of which BBC1. This service stopped last year. The latest spin on live TV on your mobile is the SLINGBOX offered exclusively in the UK by Three. One can then watch TV on mobile wherever there is 3G mobile reception (most of the UK) or wireless internet.
In May 2008, the American operator Qualcomm has obtained a license to run its own technology, the Mediaflow norm.
Croatia: Only one out of the 3 telco operators has set itself up on the market of mobile TV: it offers Eurosport, RTL and CNN as well as news, music spots and videos in UMTS.
For the moment there isn’t much interest from the consumers, hence the caution of the telco operators who do not wish to finance specific programmes and/or rights.
DVB-H experiment is ongoing by 2 telco operators (a third one has obtained a license but nothing has started yet).
In Croatia, broadcast is only partially digitalized.
The telco operators for mobile TV are the decision-makers.
Hungary: the commercial launch of mobile TV is announced for 2008. An experiment is ongoing and is led by T-Mobile, in association with Antenna Hungaria (broadcasting operator) with DVB-H: the test concerns 4 TV channels (M1, M2, Duna & Duna 2 Autonomia).
Poland: Mobile TV is available in UMTS. Orange is the principal operator. Media Broadcast (a subsidiary of TDF) is running an experiment in DVB-H.
- UMTS ONLY…
Portugal: The 3 telco operators offer TV with UMTS. The Portuguese public TV was the first one to offer a 24-hour service as early as in July 2006. It is possible to watch some programmes live but also to view a specific programme meant for mobiles, such as « Quinze », a cultural magazine which has its proper anchorman.
During 2007, RTP Mobile has also offered, on several occasions, special channels to cover special events. From July 2006 until February 2008, RTP Mobile achieved a total of 1 million views. Thus, the mobile operation is financially balanced.
Cyprus: One telco operator offers Euronews as well as different programmes from two private local channels. UMTS reception. This technology is not much developed and mobile TV remains rather confidential.
CYBC is very much interested by the development of mobile TV and hopes to be able to launch it by 2010 with DVB-H.
Telco operators for mobile TV are the decision-makers.
Sweden: SVT has been offering a video on demand service since 2005. No live transmissions due to lack of quality of service and right issues. There is a possibility to download programmes as well as written news. The 11 regional stations are offering this service. In order to increase the benefit for the user, SVT has launched an exclusive animated show for download (not just streaming) as well as a full length soap.
Several experiments with DVB-H were run with Nokia in 2005 and 2006 in Stockholm.
Greece: Mobile TV is still in an experimental phase. Three telco operators (Vodaphone, Wind and Cosmote) offer TV with UMTS. Only the private channels offer programmes and none of them are specifically made for mobile TV.
Greece hopes for a commercial development but no date has been set. It both depends on the telco operators and the TV channels.
Malta: Two telco operators for mobiles (a third one is in the running too) offer programmes from private channels with UMTS. No project is ongoing, no Digital Terrestrial TV, as the island has the cable.
The government is the decision-maker.
Kosovo: Only one telco operator, IPKO, started operating in December 2007 and offers video on demand and video streaming (the reception quality is low).
The principal operator for Kosovo, Vela 900, is completely absent.
Montenegro: Mobile TV is not yet developed, its costs are too high. Only one channel (private) has started this new way of broadcasting.
Serbia: Mobile TV has just only slowly started with UMTS. There has been an offer from one of the 3 telco operators (MTS) since November 2006 with 4 TV channels.
Slovenia: All the telco operators offer mobile TV with UMTS. The channels (public and private) offer programmes (VOD) and specific services on the web (available by wap on the mobiles). Only one channel (SLO1) is accessible live.
This service is expensive, consumers remain cautious, the country is not on the eve of a commercial development for mobile TV.
Czech Republic: preparation of a pilot for mobile TV (pocket TV) in 2006, for a commercial launch in 2007 in DVB-H. Operator: T-Mobile, Czech Republic.
Romania: Mobile TV in UMTS norm is offered by the main operators (Vodaphone and Orange) with streaming TV and possibility to download VOD.
The DVB-H norm is operational but not used.
- NOT EVEN DREAMING ABOUT IT…
Bosnia: Mobile TV is not on the agenda and no project is emerging for the moment : the country has just completed its digitalisation programme.
The decision is with the telco operators and with the CRA (Communications Regulatory Agency).
Macedonia: No mobile TV for the moment, but the operator Cosmofon won the call of proposal launched by the government. No specific date for the launch has been set.
Catherine Bomeisl
Brigitte Waltsburger
CIRCOM Regional
Deputy Secretariat General
NB : These information have been collected in September/October 2007 and have been updated in spring 2008.