The European Commission has officially endorsed Digital Video Broadcasting -- Handheld (DVB-H) as the mobile TV technology of choice in Europe, and has told member states to "encourage" use of the technology, according to media reports Wednesday.
Tailored to the specific requirements of handheld, battery-powered receivers, DVB-H is an offshoot of the terrestrial DVB-T system already employed by digital-TV broadcasters in Europe.
The EC "is firmly convinced that 2008 is the right time to create conditions favorable to the rapid takeoff of mobile broadcasting," said EU commissioner Viviane Reding. "Without this certainty and predictability, it will be impossible to invest with confidence in new innovative technologies."
Spearheaded by Nokia and backed by Motorola, Philips, Sony Ericsson and Samsung, DVB-H is the world's most widely used mobile-TV spec. Services based on the spec are currently between trials and commercial launches in 16 countries. A commercial service is also in the works for Russia.
However, several key steps are still needed to put DVB-H on the high-growth track. Reding said the main patent holders still need "to finalize an agreement over the licensing terms and conditions and the constitution of the patent pool."
Digital-rights management systems based on open technologies also need to be finalized, Reding said. "We also cannot allow commercial launches to be delayed because of legal vacuums or overly burdensome regulation," she added.
The EC estimates the global mobile-TV market could be worth up to 31.6 billion U.S. dollars by 2011, when it is projected to have 500 million subscribers.
"Many other countries worldwide are going to share our choice, and I am convinced that we are going to create a new, immense market for this open technology of the DVB family of standards," Reding said.
Source: Xinhua/agencies
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