My story on Qualcomm, The Next Monopoly, has only just hit the stands and already I need to update the information. According to reports coming from 3GSM, Qualcomm’s MediaFLO mobile TV technology is all set to take on the European DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld) and T-DMB (Terrestrial-Digital Mobile Broadcast) specs. One of the key points I make about Qualcomm in the feature is how they abide to the mantra: love thy carrier, and how that’s helped them become a gigantic force in wireless world.
Jeffery Lorbeck, vice president and general manager for MediaFLO at Qualcomm, told EE Times that MediaFLO is getting interest from European carriers, and the company is now working on ways to submit its technology to standards organizations and hopefully get it approved as an international spec. Omar Javaid, senior director of international business for MediaFLO, said, “We have global ambitions.” Javid called competing DVB-H and T-DMB technologies “not bad” for bringing TV to mobiles, but added, “Those other technologies are mobile extensions of existing terrestrial standards. They carry legacies. They have issues with power, mobility and air interfaces.”
Just as an aside, these were the same arguments they made when making a case for CDMA over GSM. Look what happened!
Well, CDMA is still a better air interface than the TDMA used in GSM. In fact, the 3G upgrade path for GSM involves a CMDA air interface, so irrespective of the fact that GSM is more widely used today than CDMA, CDMA is still a better technology for multiple reasons.
As the year 2007 draws to a close it is time to take stock again.
As expected mobile Tv standards have not stabilized, even regionally. The only exceptions are the DVB-H being recommended as one to be used in Europe.Mobile TV services using a hybrid satellite network with terrestrial repeaters are planned to be implemented in China. For this purpose a Chinese satellite company, China Satellite Mobile (CSM) has been granted the necessary license to operate in the S-Band at 2.5 GHz. CSM is majority owned by CBMsat, a Hong Kong based Echostar company and has shareholding from China’s state owned SARFT. The services will be provided using China’s own satellite mobile Tv standard developed by China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) group called the STiMi( Satellite and Terrestrial Interactive Multi-service Infrastructure).The services are expected to be operational by June 2008.
USA is strongly going the MediaFLO way though 700 MHz auctions in 2008 will provide perhaps WiMAX as a new medium.It needs to be added that the directions in which the mobile TV industry is moving is being set by the new successful trials of MBMS by LG and Ericsson amongst others.
The 3G networks could only deliver unicast mobile TV and had limited capacity for an operator.
Similarly DVB-SH is likely to be the medium of mobile TV in Europe apart from DVB-H.
I am at a loss to see how so many people can be so ill informed on such a major topic. T-DMB is a well proven, robust, low cost HIGHLY effective medium to efect Mobile Television and Multi-Media. Working on theh back of DAB – which has very good existing infrastructure across MOST of Europe and is rapidly expanding into many new areas.
In addition to the technical advantages that it has over other standards – T-DMB
1. Has Spectrum available NOW across most of Europe.
2. Has nearly 200 models of receiver available NOW
3. Has little on no legislative barrier to instant role out
4. Has a very short time to market (even shorter where DAB already exists).
5. Has a GOOD choice of supply for the Multiplexing equipment
Need I say more??
Spectrum is availa