02/13/2007
Mobile television is taking center stage at Europe's annual wireless industry show after years of largely unfulfilled hype, though differing technology standards still blur the picture.
As in past years, mobile network operators, handset makers and content providers are banding together at 3GSM to pitch TV broadcasts, video games and other entertainment as the answer to stagnant or shrinking revenue from phone calls, compounded by slowing subscriber growth in Europe.
But this time around, mobile TV broadcasts are actually available to cell phone users in a growing number of countries, from Europe to Asia. Soon they're expected to arrive in the United States, though once again a technological divide appears to be forming over the Atlantic Ocean.
While more mobile TV services and devices have been rolled out over past year, "none of them have really taken the market by storm," said Nick Lane, an analyst at the research firm Informa Telecoms & Media.
For that to happen, questions about the viability of the different platforms, software and business models, need to be addressed, he said. At the show that opened Monday, industry players were confident that the pieces are coming together.
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