EU Could Name Mobile TV Standard Next Week

Viviane Reding, European telecommunications commissioner, is believed to be on the verge of announcing a broadcast standard for mobile television.

In March, Reding called on mobile operators to choose a standard or face the prospect of having one imposed. She said that as DVB-H is already in use in 17 European Union countries and is an open standard, it should be welcomed (see Mobile Broadcasting Body Hits Out At EC Commissioner).

Reding is set to announce next week that DVB-H is the European Commission’s favoured choice, with the move set to anger many in the industry who have already opted for alternatives such as DMB.

Speaking in March, the WorldDMB Forum, which promotes the adoption and implementation of DAB/DMB, claimed that the commissioner’s pro-DVB-H stance is “dangerous and detrimental to the future of mobile broadcasting in Europe”.

WorldDMB president, Quentin Howard, said: “It is ridiculous for the Commission to think that only one system can work everywhere. Each country has its own unique requirements and market conditions and the commissioner’s preference for one solution suggests she has failed to grasp that mobile operators and broadcasters need flexibility to develop different business models.

“Madame Reding says she prefers a European technology for Europe and cites interoperability as an important issue. I couldn’t agree more. DAB/DMB is a European technology whose development was funded by the EU. This European system has been adopted by leading technology nations including Korea and China. DMB is the world’s most successful mobile TV platform by an order of magnitude compared to DVB-H.”

BSkyB has been developing its own technology, called MediaFlo, and is also likely to be perturbed by news of the forthcoming announcement from Reding (see BSkyB To Trial Mobile TV Technology).