Enhanced DVB standard provides boost for mobile TV

BT has welcomed the approval of a revised DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) standard which now allows mobile TV and virtually any other content to be broadcast reliably using internet based technologies.
The revised standard will underpin the BT Movio service – the first wholesale broadcast mobile entertainment service to launch in the UK this summer.
As part of the revised EN 300 401 specification, The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has included a capability which, using IP to run on a DAB network, allows audio, video and other data to be broadcast efficiently and reliably.
With the continuing debate around standards for broadcasting TV and radio to mobile phones, the approval of this technology as part of the DAB ETSI standard reinforces BT’s view that the eventual winner in this technology race will not be a single standard or technology, but a combination of these.
3G, WLAN, DAB, DVB-H and other technologies will combine using the unifying quality of IP to deliver mobile TV and radio to consumers.
Emma Lloyd, Managing Director of BT Movio, said: “The approval of this latest enhancement to the DAB standard supports what we’ve been saying for some time. We will see multiple standards for mobile TV and radio appearing in different markets across the globe. Those adopting a multi-standard approach will therefore emerge as the winners in this potentially lucrative market.
“Consumers want simple access to high quality TV and radio wherever they are. By using a platform based on IP, we can join different technologies and standards together to give the consumer a seamless experience to enjoy their favourite TV and radio programmes on their mobile phone.”
The BT Movio service will launch commercially in the UK this summer.
(SP/GB)