TV on the go

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support to other cities by making its DVB-H devices available as and when Doordarshan plans to expand its mobile TV services to other cities.

The other form of mobile TV is similar to video-on-demand, where operators work with content providers to host video clips downloaded on demand by users. Such videos are delivered through the data channels of the existing cellular network. As GPRS networks can barely support high-speed video streaming, this kind of mobile TV has to wait till 3G networks are in place.

With little clarity on the launch of 3G services, some value added service providers have apprehensions about the robust takeoff of mobile TV in the short-run. “It will take at least 18 months before things like licensing and networks are sorted out. Compared to evolved markets like Japan where consumers have a lot of choice, India has only two mobile TV enabled handsets as of now. The market share of such handsets as well as GPRS enabled mobiles is miniscule,” says Neeraj Roy, MD & CEO, Hungama Mobile.

Trai has recently suggested auction of spectrum for mobile TV services. Operators having cellular mobile telephone service license or unified access service license would not need any further license for offering mobile TV services on their own network, according to the regulator. It suggested creating a new class of mobile TV operators using broadcast method. The recommendations are yet to be accepted by the government.

Viren Popli, senior vice-president, Star Mobile Entertainment, however, feels mobile TV launch would lead to an incremental revenue opportunity for the broadcasters. “As we have seen Indians are very comfortable with new technology, mobile TV may become a mass product in two to five years. Nobody expected mobile music would be as big as it’s today,” he says.

Early experiments from the first few videos available over mobile phones seem to be encouraging. Star Mobile Entertainment has entered into a pact with Sony Ericsson to offer pre-loaded PLUS application on the handset manufacturer’s Walkman and Cyber-shot phones. The service allows users to access over 200 videos at Rs 30 a month.